


Skywalker: Twin Suns

by jennyraylen



Series: Skywalker Saga AU [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Tragedy, Complete, Darth Vader's A+ parenting, Everyone Needs A Hug, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, No Sex, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Parent Darth Vader, Past Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Series, Tragedy, What-If, part one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24015958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennyraylen/pseuds/jennyraylen
Summary: ARC ONE OF FOURWhat if Darth Vader discovered his children were alive?Vader is on a mission for the Emperor when his hyperdrive is damaged and he's forced to land on Alderaan to seek aid. There, he senses a strangely familiar Force presence in the form of a young girl. Princess Leia of Alderaan reminds him of someone, a woman he loves--Padme Amidala.Luke isn't allowed to leave the Homestead, but one day he sneaks off with Uncle Owen to Mos Eisley. The chaotic spaceport is no place for a four-year-old, and young Skywalker is soon separated from his uncle. An Inquisitor visiting the planet senses the boy and acts quickly, kidnapping Luke. Before long, one Old Ben Kenobi learns of the child's kidnapping and sets off on a mission to retrieve him--before it's too late.What happens when Vader finds himself caring for two young children, the son and daughter of his lost Padmé? What will he do when he learns his master lied to him?Vader's ties to the Dark Side are strong. But there's one thing that may be even stronger than the Dark Side of the Force....[Complete]
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: Skywalker Saga AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732219
Comments: 111
Kudos: 196





	1. I: Princess Leia of Alderaan

It had been four years since he'd dreamt. His nights were silent now, ever since he had donned the suit and taken on the name Darth Vader. So it was with great surprise when he awoke with the memory of a dream. Or rather, a vision from the Force.

Vader emerged from the bacta tank and donned his suit, the droid tech sealing itself to his broken body, but his mind was elsewhere. Padmé taking her last breath -- an image he had become all too familiar with four years ago -- as Obi-Wan watched.

Then the dream had shifted to a desert planet with twin suns. He had recognized it immediately: Tatooine, the world where Anakin had grown up. A boy with a blond head of curly hair running across the desert sand. A woman calling for a boy named Luke.

The dream had shifted for the third and final time to Alderaan. Queen Breha rocked a baby girl with dark hair to sleep, singing a lullaby Vader didn't recognize.

And then he had woken up, his lungs feverishly attempting to inhale air and failing, barely succeeding at inhaling the bacta. They were too weak, half-collapsed, and damaged beyond repair. Thanks to Obi-Wan and the weakness of Anakin Skywalker.

Vader clenched his fists, shutting the vision from his mind. Whatever it meant hardly mattered now. Tatooine was a dead planet from his dead past, and he held no connections to Alderaan. Let the Force call to him all it liked -- Vader was done bowing to its wishes. He would not be seduced by pretty images conjured up by his subconscious brain. They were signs of weakness, of vulnerabilities in his impenetrable armor.

Darth Vader was not weak. He would never be weak again.

Only a moment after his mask had snapped into place, there came a knock on his door. "My lord?" called a muffled voice.

Vader slid open the door using the Force, letting the captain of the ship into the room. "Yes, captain?" he asked. She stared at a holo pad in her hands, her knuckles white from clutching it tightly.

"There..." she hesitated, her voice quivering ever so slightly. "There seems to be a problem with the hyperdrive."

The comment sparked something old in Vader, from a time before. He shoved it aside. "Captain?"

She stood a little straighter, her hands trembling almost imperceptibly. Vader sensed the fear in her. She knew what he did to captains who failed him -- she was the third commander to receive a promotion on his ship this standard year. "The closest planet to our current location is Alderaan. We have enough fuel to get there, and they will provide us aid."

Vader walked toward the captain, who stiffened, but he glided past without a sideways glance. The captain relaxed, her relief evident in the Force. Vader chuckled inwardly at her ignorance. At any moment, Vader could crush her skull or send her flying across the room with only a thought. Vader did not do either, however. She had not failed him. _Yet._

This would set them behind on his master's mission. Whatever had gone wrong with the hyperdrive, it had to be fixed as quickly as possible.

And _Alderaan._ His dream came flooding back to him, those vivid images sent from the Force. He had dreamt of Alderaan.

Perhaps it wasn't best to ignore the dream.

"So be it," said Vader. He looked out a window in his chambers that revealed the many stars of the galaxy, so many of them teeming with life yet undiscovered. _I wanna be the first to see them all._ He rid the thought from his mind and focused on the here and now -- the present was all that mattered. "Yes, Alderaan. It is the Will of the Force. Take us there, captain."

"Yes sir," she exclaimed with a slight bow and swiftly left the room as if she couldn't move fast enough.

Alderaan.

Why had he dreamt of Alderaan?

*

"We're making our landing approach, sir," said the captain.

Vader stood on the bridge as the ship entered Alderaan's atmosphere. They had met no resistance thus far, as was expected. All Imperial ships had free reign in any civilized system, and any attempt at rebellion was stifled at the source. An influential planet such as Alderaan would be foolish to try to stop the enforcer for the Emperor.

The ship landed smoothly in the spaceport closest to the palace. Vader led the charge, the captain, and several other underlings following after him. He usually would leave diplomatic issues to his subordinates to handle, but this planet seemed to draw him in, insisting he see for himself what was waiting for him here. His dream still haunted him, and there was a presence here, a being, that reminded him of his past. Of _her_. Yes, this personal quest was bound to become a distraction from his master's mission, but Vader couldn't set the feeling aside.

No, it wasn't his beloved, who had become one with the Force over four years ago. But this new beacon in the Force shone with her, only brighter, and younger. What possible connections could she have made on _Alderaan_? Was it Bail? Padmé had visited here during her time as a senator. Perhaps she had made a friend or had relatives staying here.

Regardless, Vader intended to find out.

Vader led his men toward the palace, bypassing the security with a wave of his hand or a glance in their general direction. Anyone who knew what was best for them cowered at the sight of him, letting him pass without a fight. All people throughout the galaxy knew of the Emperor's ruthless enforcer. This, truly, was power.

When Vader swung the doors to the throne room open with a flick of his wrist, chaos ensued. Senator Organa and Queen Breha, sitting upon their thrones, looked up in surprise. Servants gasped and dropped their goods, while the senator stood up as if to defend himself from a nonexistent threat. Queen Breha gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Finally, the guards stood at attention and blocked their pathway toward the queen and senator.

"At ease," said Senator Organa, his eyes still on Vader. "It's the Emperor's enforcer. We will hear what he has to tell us." His voice did not tremble, but Vader could sense fear and uncertainty in him nonetheless.

The guards lifted their staffs, clearing the path. Vader stepped forward into the center of the room, his entourage behind him. "Our ship has come into disrepair. We demand any needed parts to complete our journey, as well as a place to dock until we are ready to leave."

Senator Organa and Queen Breha visibly relaxed, their relief even more apparent through the Force. Breha lowered her hand from her mouth, and Bail's shoulders lost their tension, but he still did not sit back down. Vader's suspicion intensified. "As you wish, my Lord," said Queen Breha. "Is that all?" Something larger was held in those three words, an unspoken question only her and Senator Organa understood.

Vader did not get a chance to respond. To his right, a servant with a tray of food in her hands made her way toward a door, which slid open to reveal a young girl who had been leaning against it. The girl fell, landing atop the servant and sending the tray of food flying into the air. With a resounding _crash,_ it landed on the floor, sending the hall into shocked silence and leaving both the servant and girl covered in bits of jelly and fruit.

Vader stared, but not in shock or anger at the interruption. Thiswas _it_. That _girl_ was what he had felt, that elusive connection to his wife he had sensed when they landed here. With her dark hair curled and braided into a bun, she almost looked like her too. And yet, she was here -- a princess, from the look of her dress -- on Alderaan. What possible connection could this girl have to _her_?

Senator Organa went pale. "Leia, what have you to say for yourself?" he said, his voice wound tight. _Leia._ Where had Vader heard that name before? The young girl stood up on her small feet and made to flee from the room, but was scooped up by a servant and plopped back down in front of the senator. She crossed her arms and stared at the ground, her face flushed pink. "Well?"

"I--uh--I wanted--Who is--What--" Her face turned a deeper shade of red as she stuttered. "I wanna know who the big scary man is," she finally said.

Silent horror filled the room at her words. The senator kneeled and turned the girl around to face Vader, his hands on her shoulders. "That man is Lord Vader, Princess Leia. He is the Emperor's enforcer, here to ask us for aid. You are not to speak of him in that way, and you are not to eavesdrop. Do you understand?"

Leia struggled to get out of the senator's grip. "Yes, Daddy," she managed to say, this time without a stutter. Organa let go of her shoulders and gently nudged her toward a servant, who took her hand and escorted the moping girl out of the room.

The senator sighed. "I apologize for the interruption. She is so young and has such spirit. Please excuse her." He may have been standing, but his eyes gave away his desperation that Vader accept his plea.

Vader stared at the door through which the girl had left and found himself asking, "Is she your daughter?"

"Yes," Breha answered, stumbling only slightly over the word. "Adopted, that is. Her parents died at the end of the war, almost five years ago now."

"But she is just as much our own as if we had had her ourselves," Senator Organa added softly. The queen nodded, smiling softly.

Vader looked at the couple, studying them intensely, as though they might hold secrets just under the surface. He found nothing, only parental love, and concern that their daughter had angered him. He was not angry, merely curious, and suspicious. They were hiding something, something about _Leia_. He sensed the truth in the queen's words, but not all of it. She was keeping certain things unsaid.

Without a word, Vader spun around, his cape billowing behind him as he exited the room. The doors shut behind him and his entourage in one swift movement, and they made their way back to their ship.

*

Vader meditated in his chambers, but the Force gave him no answer as to who Princess Leia could be. _Leia._ The name felt so familiar, but he couldn't quite grasp where or when he had heard it.

Before long, the ship's hyperdrive was functioning again, and it was time to continue on his master's mission. He had told himself not to be distracted, but was this a distraction at all? His goal was to bring back Padmé, and that girl held a connection to her, a _strong_ one. Pursuing any information on who she was meant getting closer to bringing her back. His master would not like it. He would tell him to forget the girl, that their goals went beyond his lost wife.

The Emperor didn't have to know.

As the ship took off and entered hyperspace, Vader took the captain aside. "I want you to look into that girl for me, captain -- anything you can find. Tell no one. Am I understood?"

The captain blinked. "The princess, Lord Vader?"

"Yes," Vader hissed. "Princess Leia of Alderaan. Find help if you need it, but tell no one you don't trust absolutely. The Emperor is not to find out about this. Report directly to me what you find."

The captain nodded, her eyes widening. Her fingers clutched her ever-present holo pad all the more tightly. "Yes, my lord. Consider it done."

"Good," said Vader. "Do not disappoint me."


	2. II: Mos Eisley

Luke snickered before he caught himself, covering his mouth with his hand.  _ Oh please, don't let Uncle Owen have heard me,  _ he prayed to whatever gods were out there. After a moment, the boy relaxed. All he could hear was the rumble of the speeder beneath him as it sped across the sands of Tatooine, along with the occasional screech of an animal as they passed.

Uncle Owen never allowed Luke off the Homestead. _ It's too dangerous for you, Luke. When you're older, Luke. There's so much for you to do here, Luke.  _ Well, Luke was done with all that...that...bantha fodder! He grinned at the bad words, barely holding back another snicker. Uncle Owen would be furious when he found out Luke had snuck onto his speeder, but he was tired of being cooped up on the Homestead with Aunt Beru day in and day out. The boy longed for adventure, and that would never come if he didn't seek it out himself. The perfect opportunity for such an adventure had presented itself this morning when Uncle Owen announced he was heading to Mos Eisley that day.

Aunt Beru had gasped. "That wretched place? Are you sure? Is there no better place to make this trade, Owen?"

Owen shook his head as Luke peeked around the doorway, his blond curls visible only if they turned to leave their room. "I'm afraid not. They're offering a large sum for my droid, and I'm not about to turn down such a large offer. It's only one time, sweetheart. I promise I'll stay safe." He kissed her, right on the lips, and it was all Luke could do not to screech  _ ew! _ and give himself away. Instead, he covered his mouth and gagged silently, running away before he could see anything more.

Uncle Owen left later that day, and right when neither he nor Aunt Beru were looking, Luke snuck onto the speeder and hid under a tarp. There he waited until they said their goodbyes and there he waited now, as the speeder slowed as it approached the spaceport.

The speeder rocked as Owen climbed out. A moment later, the tarp ripped off the back, revealing Luke hidden beside the deactivated droid Owen had brought to trade. Luke screamed--half of surprise and half of delight--and Owen gasped in horror.

"Luke?" His voice seemed more shocked than angry, but Luke wasn't about to find out what Owen would do to him if he stayed. The child jumped from the back of the speeder and ran into the bustling streets without looking back, Owen left behind as he frantically called for his runaway nephew.

The spaceport was like nothing Luke had ever seen. He slowed, taking in the sight with wide-eyed wonder. There were so many people--so many aliens from other planets visiting, making trades, then getting angry and fighting in the streets. One alien pulled out a blaster, and Luke gazed on in both horror and awe as the victim held up his hands and was escorted away. He deflated slightly, part of him hoping it would have escalated into a greater fight, one from the legends Aunt Beru told him at night.

There were speeders, huts, goods, sellers, aliens, creatures, and even a few stormtroopers! Luke gazed at the soldiers clad in white and black armor.  _ Aren't they hot in those things? _ Luke was sweating under the Tatooine suns in his thin sand-stained rags.

"Hey kid, out of the way," grumbled an alien, pushing the boy to the ground as he passed. Luke landed face-first, receiving a mouthful of sand. He spit out the sand, sputtering and coughing.  _ I hate sand, _ he thought, the burning stuff scraping his tongue and throat.

Luke got to his feet, his tiny hands balled into fists. "What was that for?" he called to the alien, who was already several feet away. The alien froze. "Fat-face!"

The alien turned, his face twisted in what had to be his species's version of anger. He had a fat face indeed, rolls of fat on his forehead and cheeks, half covering his single eye. Luke couldn't help but laugh. "What did you call me?" it said in accented Basic.

"Fat-face!" repeated Luke, barely able to force out the insult through his giggles.

A crowd had started to assemble around them, several murmuring about the young boy.

_ "Is that a slave?" _

_ "Must be, free boys aren't dumb enough to be wandering around these parts." _

Others murmured about the alien, who had begun to make his way toward Luke.

_ "He wouldn't hurt a kid, would he?" _

_ "Wouldn't you? Makes no difference to me, children are nothing but a nuisance." _

The alien cracked its neck and clenched his fists as he towered over the young boy. Luke's heart began to race. He couldn't fight -- he wasn't as brave or as strong as the heroes in the tales Aunt Beru told him. Luke turned to run, but there was nowhere to go. The crowd had formed a wall all around them, trapping him with this beast. Luke began to regret his decision to sneak on the speeder and run away from Uncle Owen.

Just before the alien could make his first move, a masked figure holding a short stick leaped seemingly from nowhere between Luke and the alien. The figure was slight--a young woman clad in all black. "Hey!" shrieked the alien. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stopping you from hurting an innocent little kid," said the woman. Luke stared up at her red hair as her back was to him. She lifted her arm, pointing the short stick at the alien.

"What are you going to do with that thing?" mocked the alien. "Beat me to death?" That garnered a few chuckles from the crowd. "That little vermin needs to learn a lesson about respecting his elders, and I intend to teach it to him." He leaned slightly to look directly at Luke with his one eye. Luke shivered.

"I've got news for you, One Eye," said the lady. "That kid's mine, and if you wanna hurt him, you're gonna have to get through me first."

The alien laughed but was cut off by a whizz as the lady's stick turned into a blade--a red blade that shone brightly under the twin desert suns. The alien's laugh turned into a horrified gasp, and he backed up at the same time Luke stepped forward in awe.

"Watch out, kid," she said, turning her masked face toward him. "I don't want you getting hurt. This man is dangerous, and so is my lightsaber, so I would recommend taking a few steps back while I finish my business."

"T-T-That won't be necessary," Fat-Face stuttered, backing up slowly with his hands in the air. "I apologize for threatening...your...son."

The lady guffawed. "He isn't my son, One Eye. But--" she extinguished the blade-- "apology accepted. Now get out of here before I change my mind." Fat-Face turned and ran as quickly as his fat body would allow him, and moments later, the crowd had dispersed. The lady holstered her lightsaber and turned back toward Luke.

"What you did was stupid, kid," she said, holstering the weapon. "Now, where's your master?"

"I--" Luke stuttered. "I don't have one. I came here with my uncle."

"Your uncle?" Her mask retracted, revealing a look of surprise. "Where is he? What was he doing bringing a child to Mos Eisley, of all the terrible places on this rotten planet?"

Luke's heart sank. His uncle. Where was Uncle Owen? Frantically, he turned around, looking for any sight of his uncle, but there was nothing -- just the crowded, chaotic streets that had returned to normal now that the fight was over. He had run away so quickly that it wasn't until this moment that he realized he was lost. When Luke spoke next, his voice was so high it was hardly a squeak. "I don't know."

"I'll help you find him," she said. "This place can be scary for a young boy. I bet you ran off without taking a second thought, didn't you? It's okay; I'm sure that together we can find him before he leaves." She bent down and held out a gloved hand. Luke hesitated. The lady had saved her, but could he trust her? "What do you say?"

Luke rocked back and forth, hands behind his back. The lady seemed nice, and he wanted to know more about her lightsaber. Finally, he took her hand. She smiled, standing back up. "Come on, let's go find your uncle."

The lady led Luke through the crowd. Mos Eisley didn't seem so exciting anymore. He noticed aliens giving him mean looks and men holding weapons that could kill him in an instant. Luke gulped. Instead of excitement, he felt dread. If the lady hadn't been holding his hand, he would have felt terrified. As it was, he was still afraid.

The lady hadn't said a word since taking his hand, and Luke realized she didn't even know what his uncle looked like.

"Uh, lady, where are we...?" Luke trailed off when he saw where they were. A port, in front of a starship. Far away from wherever Uncle Owen would be. Luke's uncle didn't own any ships. "Lady?" His voice shook.

"Come on, boy. I have somewhere I need to be." Her voice had turned cold. She tugged his arm, hard, and he cried out in pain.

"Stop it!" he shouted, pulling away. "Let me go! Help! Uncle Owen--!"

A gloved hand covered his mouth, muffling his cries. "That won't do, young one. Come on, let's get on my ship, and no more shouting." She shoved his body against her crouched figure, pulling his head back against her shoulder. With her free hand, she ignited her lightsaber, holding it to his throat. Luke whimpered, tears pouring down his cheeks without warning. "Or else. Is that understood?"

Luke nodded, silent sobs wracking his small chest, and she let him go, shoving him forward. The saber at his back, she herded him toward the black ship that would take him off-planet. Luke had never been off-planet. While before the notion would have excited him, now it filled him with fear. How far away would this ship take him? Would he ever see the Homestead again?

The thought made him very, very sad.

"Hurry," said the lady, and she pushed him up the ramp. The door slid shut behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the Inquisitor looks a lot like Mara...I actually did that entirely on accident (I haven't read any of Legends tbh) but we can pretend it was a purposeful reference. ;) Though of course if she did exist in canon she'd be around the same age as Luke right now.


	3. III: The Inquisitor

The desert sands of Tatooine seemed to go on for an eternity.

Obi-Wan never thought he would get used to the heat or the constant layer of grit that proved impossible to wash away. After all those years on Coruscant, and even the three years of constant war, nothing could prepare him for the grueling life on this backwater planet. He couldn't imagine what it would be like for a child slave to grow up here for the first nine years of his life.

He tried not to imagine it.

Master Yoda would tell him to keep his focus on the present, but that was difficult in the monotony of his new life. There was little to keep his mind occupied, and it was easy to find himself receding into the painful events of the past. He tried not to, though. Better not to focus on the many hardships of his life. It was a pathway he found difficult to return from.

Obi-Wan, or Old Ben as he was known by the people here, was making his way through the desert, looking for potential prey to make his dinner that night, when he felt a disturbance in the Force. At first he ignored the feeling, as it felt insignificant. The Force was near constantly disturbed in recent years -- nothing had felt right since the beginning of the Clone Wars. Perhaps even before.

There, beyond the rocks, stood a scavenging womp rat. But the feeling grew, as Obi-Wan lined up his sights and aimed his old-fashioned spear, until it overwhelmed him. He was seized by the feeling, lost in the depths of his mind.

_This is different. This disturbance will change everything._

The feeling passed as quickly as it had come, and he was left alone in the hot winds of the desert. The womp rat was gone, having escaped while its hunter was distracted.

By the time the suns had begun to set, Obi-Wan managed to kill another womp rat. He quickly made his way back to his hut. Night was approaching, and with it the various dangers of Tatooine's darkness. But as Obi-Wan set down the carcass of his soon-to-be-dinner and looked out at the setting suns, he felt the urge to check on Luke. The disturbance still haunted him, and he hadn't seen the boy in a few days. There would still be a good hour of light left in the day -- more than enough time to travel to the Lars Homestead and be back before dark. He took up his pack and began the trek across the sand dunes.

A feeling of dread overtook him as he approached the Homestead. He always heard the young boy from this distance, playing with his toys or talking to his aunt and uncle. _Perhaps he has gone to bed early,_ he reasoned, but the thought did not comfort him. He reached out with the Force -- something was most certainly wrong.

"Ben!" Obi-Wan looked down from the edge of the Homestead that had been carved into the rock below. Owen stood below, looking up at him. "Old Ben, thank goodness you're here."

"How is Luke?" asked Obi-Wan, already dreading the answer. He crossed his arms, putting off a veneer of calm, but under the surface his mind raged with emotions. He had been sent here to care for the boy. Had something happened to him? Had he failed in this also?

Worry lined the young man's face. Owen seemed to have aged a decade in the nearly five years since Obi-Wan had brought him and his wife an infant Luke Skywalker. Every day he regretted the decision to place such a burden on the young couple, but it had been necessary, and they dealt with it best they could. Luke was a good kid -- if unruly, adventurous, and much too like his father for his own good. But life was already so difficult on this cursed planet, and to add another mouth to feed, a person to raise -- and the identity of the child on top of the rest -- to their growing pile of responsibilities was difficult for the couple.

"Luke..." Owen's voice cracked as Obi-Wan's heart sank. "He's missing."

*

Obi-Wan stood in the couple's main chambers. Beru was seated beside her husband, seemingly unaware of the tears streaking down her cheeks as she spoke. "The last I saw of him was this morning, just before Owen left for Mos Eisley."

"Mos Eisley?" asked Obi-Wan incredulously.

"I told him not to go!" insisted Beru, validated by Obi-Wan's indignation. "But he wouldn't listen. Thank the gods he's all right, but if Luke somehow snuck along, and wandered off..." She shook her head, unable to finish the thought. Another tear streaked down her face.

"It's my fault," said Owen. "The boy hid in the back of my speeder. When I went back to retrieve the droid I had stowed, I saw him huddled beneath the tarpaulin. He jumped out and ran before I could say more than a word, let alone grab him. I should have reacted sooner, but I was so shocked to see him there..." Beru leaned against Owen's shoulder, pressing a comforting hand on his chest. He took it and squeezed.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "You did all you could. There's no use blaming yourself now." He stroked his bearded chin thoughtfully.

"I searched for him all day," continued Owen. "I only came back here once the suns began to set so I could let Beru know. I need to go back, search all night if I have to. I wish I could say he couldn't have gone far, but it's a spaceport..."

Who knew what kinds of people wanted a young boy, and for what horrible purposes. The boy could be anywhere in the galaxy by now. Worse yet, he could be found by someone who knew who he was -- at that point, his life would be forfeit. If the Emperor found out about the existence of the boy all would be lost.

 _There is another,_ he reminded himself. _Leia._ Still, the boy could not be lost. Or rather, found. Obi-Wan loved Luke like he was his own son. He wouldn't let anything happen to him.

"No," said Obi-Wan. "Let me go. Beru needs you here, to help on the farm." _And for support in these difficult times,_ he added silently. They loved the child dearly, probably more than Obi-Wan did himself. "I will find Luke Skywalker, I swear it on my life."

"He's like a son to me," said Owen. "I can't let you do that."

"I know," said Obi-Wan. "But you must. I have one thing you do not, something that could mean the difference between finding him and losing him forever."

"And what might that be?" asked Beru.

Obi-Wan stared out, through the doorway at the setting suns. "The Force."

*

Luke blinked, light shining down from above, forcing him to squint. His head ached. He tried to sit up and immediately fell over, losing his balance and falling off the edge of the cot onto the ground. A blanket fell on top of him. Thrashing his arms and legs, he was able to free himself and take in his surroundings. He was in the sleeping quarters of a ship -- and with that, the events of the day came rushing back. "Aunt Beru? Uncle Owen?" he called.

They didn't come. They wouldn't come. Luke looked around, searching for any clue of how to get off the ship. He spotted a window, in the far right corner beside the cot he had fallen off of. Luke clumsily scrambled to his feet, taking the blanket with him, and scurried to the window, pressing his hands and face to the glass. There, far beneath them, was a yellow planet framed by tiny, twinkling stars. Tatooine. His home.

His breath clouded the glass as he stood there, gaping at the horrible, wonderful sight. Luke had never been off-planet before, but he had dreamt of it many times -- none of them had compared to this.

"Looks pretty, doesn't it?"

The boy spun. In that moment, as he stared at his home planet, he had forgotten about the lady who took him, and how he was trapped up here away from his aunt and uncle, maybe forever.

"You woke up faster than I anticipated," continued the lady. "My droid is about to send us into hyperspace. You'd better take one last good look at that backwater planet, boy, because you won't be seeing it again anytime soon."

Luke sniffed, unwanted tears already streaking down his face. He turned back toward the window, looking at the yellow ball hanging from nothing. _Aunt Beru. Uncle Owen._ He missed them. And Old Ben...

"Where are you taking me?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet." The lady was beside him now, sitting on the cot with her legs crossed. He didn't look at her, though, instead staring intently at the planet, trying to memorize it before it was gone forever. He felt a prick in his arm and he cried out in pain.

"Sorry about that," said the lady, but she didn't sound very sorry. She opened a holo. "I just need to run some tests."

"Why?" _I won't cry. I won't cry,_ he repeated inwardly. He was tough like Uncle Owen always told him. He buried his head in the blanket, staining it with tears that came anyway.

The lady huffed. "Because."

"Be-because what?"

The lady rolled her eyes. "Because I need to test your blood for something."

Luke's curiosity was piqued. The pain in his arm forgotten, he lowered the blanket, looking up at her. "For what?"

The lady was exasperated now. "Have you ever heard about the Force?"

Luke blinked. "The Force?"

The lady chuckled. "Tatooine really is a backwater planet," she muttered. She shut off her holo and met Luke's eyes. "It's a power that's inside every living being. A power some people can harness and control. You have that power, but I need your blood to know just how powerful you are. Does that make sense?" She seemed to eye him, almost daring him to ask more questions.

Luke nodded. "What kind of power? Do you have it?"

The lady smiled, teeth and all. "Yes, I do. I'm what they call an Inquisitor. I serve the Emperor, and my job is to find children just like you. As for your other question..." She trailed off, looking into the distance. "Have you ever done something you didn't mean to? Move an object with your mind, or make your mom and dad obey you without meaning to?"

Luke shook his head, but those powers sounded amazing. "My mom and dad died when I was a baby. I live with my aunt and uncle."

The Inquisitor looked at him with surprise. "Oh. I'm sorry." This time the apology sounded genuine.

Her holo beeped, and she turned it on. She gasped, sitting up straight. Her brow wrinkled. "That's impossible..."

"What is it?" Luke tried to lean in closer to see, but the Inquisitor stood up, taking the holo with her. "What happened? Tell me!" he demanded.

"Your blood..." She looked at him with wonder. Luke hugged the blanket closer to himself. "You're incredibly strong in the Force. There was only one other Jedi with as many midi-chlorians as you, and he died in the Clone War years ago."

"Who?"

The Inquisitor shook her head, again staring at the holo. "So many questions. His name was Anakin Skywalker, not that it matters."

Luke's eyes went wide. "That was my dad's name!" Aunt Beru had told Luke stories about his father, but she'd never said anything about a Jedi, whatever that was. He only knew Anakin had been a great pilot who fought for the good of the galaxy. His uncle said he had been a spice runner before he died, but Aunt Beru insisted he'd been a good man who always fought to protect the people he loved.

The woman froze at his words. Her eyes narrowed. "Anakin was a Jedi. Jedi don't _have_ children," she scoffed. "However...it would explain the connection..."

"I want to be a Jedi too! Like my dad!" Luke had no idea what a Jedi was, but if his father had been one, he knew he wanted to be one.

The Inquisitor laughed, a long and hearty one. When she was done, she looked down at Luke, who had dropped the blanket and was now bouncing on his toes in anticipation. "There are no more Jedi, boy. And you will never become one. Now, rest. It must be late for you."

Luke deflated as the Inquisitor began to leave the room. He turned back toward the window; no longer could he see Tatooine, but blue lines as they sped across the galaxy. He knew it was hyperspace from the descriptions in his aunt's stories. "Where are we going?" he asked.

She froze. A pause. This time, she had an answer. "I'm taking you to the Emperor."


	4. IV: Luke Skywalker

Darth Vader's inferiors had yet to find anything substantial on the girl. He was growing impatient as the Force continued to urge him that she was important. All other projects had come to a standstill and he assigned everyone he could spare to look into the girl, but there simply was so little information on her that they had yet to find anything that could hint at her true identity. But Vader refused to set it aside and give up.

What they knew: she had been orphaned in the Clone Wars, adopted a few days after Empire Day by Bail and Breha Organa. They could find no trace of who her birth parents might have been or how they died. In a few documents there were hints her father had fought in the War, but nothing overt, and no hint at what his rank might have been. The secrecy made sense, since the only soldiers had either been droids, who couldn't have children, high ranking officials on the side of the Separatists, who were either imprisoned or in hiding, or the clones and the Jedi, neither of which were supposed to have children. The girl was illegitimate. Perhaps her parents were unknown to all, and this was a wild bantha chase.

As to her connection to Padmé, there was nothing. No mentions of Naboo, the Senate, or even the Republic. Perhaps Leia was connected to Padmé through her birth father, who would have had contact with the Republic if he had fought in the War. Or maybe...

 _No._ Vader had felt these suspicions before, but they were unlikely -- no, _impossible_ for them to be true. No heed would be paid to them. Vader had sensed her death in the Force, and Palpatine had confirmed it. She was dead. _They are both dead._

"Sir, there has been a development."

Vader turned, shaken out of his trance. A captain stood before him, looking concerned.

"About the girl?" asked Vader, though he dared not hope.

"Um...no, sir. It's about the children of the Force, the ones your Inquisitors have been hunting down. The Third Sister has requested to see the Emperor. With a child. It's a male, only four standard years old."

It had been a while since one of his Inquisitors tracked down a child of the Force, a few months perhaps. The child must have been unique if the Third Sister wanted to bring it to the Emperor. It certainly wasn't standard procedure. "Tell her to meet me on Mustafar. I must know why she believes the boy to be so...special. Then she may bring him to the Emperor, with whatever intent she has in mind."

*

"The Emperor?" Luke squeaked excitedly. He was going to see _the_ Emperor, the man who ruled the whole galaxy? "Why?"

"You're special, young one. The Emperor will want to see you before...well, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you rest."

She shut the doors, leaving Luke in the dim room. He wasn't afraid of the dark, unlike most boys his age. He _was_ afraid of the dangerous creatures that came out at night, but he wasn't on Tatooine, so there was no reason to be afraid now.

He was, however, frightened of being alone.

Luke huddled on the cot, wrapping his blanket tightly around him. He missed his aunt and uncle more than anything. He even missed Tatooine. He shivered, the cold air a stark contrast to the constant heat of his home. But this new thing -- visiting the Emperor -- distracted him from all that, at least for the moment. The man who ruled the entire galaxy was going to see _him._ Luke, from Tatooine, the planet farthest from the Core where the Emperor made his home. Despite himself, he was excited. What would the Emperor say? Would he think he was special too? Would he let him stay with him and learn about the Force with him?

His thoughts went wild, imagining all the adventures he and the Emperor would go on together to keep peace throughout the galaxy. Maybe it was a good thing the Inquisitor had taken him. This was the adventure Luke had longed for all his short life. He wasn't stuck on Tatooine anymore, forced to imagine the exciting life of an adventurer. The Emperor would teach him how to be a Jedi, Luke was certain of that. After he met the Emperor, he would have Luke's aunt and uncle come to live with them too. His life was about to change forever, and Luke had a feeling it was for the better.

It was a very long time before he fell asleep.

*

The ship landed smoothly on the lava planet. Vader watched as the Third Sister escorted a young blond boy off the ship and toward Fortress Vader. The boy was disoriented, but strangely, Vader sensed little fear in him. Rather, the child was curious, even excited, as he looked around at lava spills and the enormous castle.

The door slid open and she entered, the boy beside her. Vader turned from the window to face them. The boy backed away, startled by Vader's appearance, until he was pressed up against the Third Sister. Finally, there was fear in the boy as he stared up at him, body trembling.

"This is the child," said the Third Sister. "His midi-chlorian count was off the charts, sir. I wish to bring him to the Emperor to see what he thinks of the child before I terminate him."

"His ability in the Force matters not," said Vader, unamused. "He must be terminated regardless of the strength of his talent."

"Yes, but..." The Third Sister hesitated. "There is more, sir. He claims to be the son of Anakin Skywalker."

The Third Sister went on, but Vader did not hear her. He looked at the child again, this time with new eyes. _It can't be._ It simply was impossible for him to be alive. No, this was a trick, a ploy set up by his Master to see how he would react.

But those eyes, so like his own. He even wore the common garb of a Tatooine boy. And his signature in the Force -- Vader recognized it in that moment. It was like Leia's. Like Padmé's.

"Where did you find him?" Vader found himself asking, cutting off whatever the Third Sister had been saying.

She stuttered, caught off guard by the sudden interruption. "Tatooine, sir."

 _They hid away my own son._ Given him to his half brother to raise, no doubt. The betrayal stung, cut deep into his core. But there was another betrayal, one that was far worse, though why he had not expected it was lost on him now.

His master had lied.

Vader ignited his lightsaber. The blade cut through the Third Sister smoothly, and when he retracted it, she fell to the ground, dead. His son screamed.

Vader stared at the boy, his son staring back in horror. "What is your name?" asked Vader. He meant to say it softly, but his voice modulator could not comply, and it boomed.

His son did not respond right away, but after a moment, he muttered, so quietly Vader barely could make it out, "Luke Skywalker."

Vader remembered now, the conversations Anakin had had with Padmé over the name of their child. Luke if it was a boy, and if it was a girl... _Leia._

She had been pregnant with twins. Had survived long enough to give birth to them both. _My children are alive._

"Are you gonna do that--" Luke looked down at the body of the Third Sister, his voice shaking. "To me?"

He was still Darth Vader, trapped in this shell for eternity. He served the Emperor. Luke's existence didn't change much, but there was one thing Vader knew for certain: his Master would pay.

"No, my son," said Vader, his first words directed at his child since those nights beside Padmé, when he had been nothing but a tiny beacon of light developing in the womb of his wife. "You are safe. Perhaps for the first time in your life, you are safe."


	5. V: Visions

The dark figure told Luke to follow him through the castle. Luke tried to speak, tried to ask where they were going, but the words caught in his throat, and he was left in silent terror. The Inquisitor was dead. Luke knew what death was -- his uncle often had to kill animals both for food and to keep them from getting too close to the Homestead -- but he'd never seen a person die. The figure had killed her, whatever it was. A human? An alien? Was it a person at all?

But Luke followed it. He had no choice. It led him to a door, which slid open to reveal a room with a cot, not unlike the one on the lady's ship. "Stay in there," said the dark figure. He turned around to face Luke. _I am brave,_ he thought. _I am brave._

The figure, looming over him, gestured to inside the room. "I said _stay in there._ " Its voice boomed. Luke went running, practically falling on top of the cot. He turned back to look at the figure and wait for more orders, but the figure was gone, the door closed. He was alone.

Luke shut his eyes. He longed for a blanket to snuggle like he had on the Inquisitor's ship, but there was none here, so he hugged his knees instead. Maybe if he kept his eyes shut for long enough he'd open them and find himself back home, on Tatooine, in Aunt Beru's arms. Luke concentrated on that image, and for a moment he thought he had done it. He could smell dinner being made, feel the comforting waves of heat radiating off the desert sands. If he _really_ listened, he could hear Aunt Beru calling him for dinner.

"Aunt Beru!" Luke opened his eyes. He jumped to his feet, only to halt in his steps immediately.

He was still in the dark, lonely room the dark figure had left him in, far from home.

Luke sat and lay on the bed, curling into a ball. And he began to cry.

*

_Luke._

"Uncle Owen?"

_Luke!_

He tried to find the source of the voice, but there was nothing. Just a wide, empty space, filled with the brightest light.

"Where are you?" asked Luke, squinting his eyes.

_With you, I am._

"Who are you?"

_A friend, I am. An old friend._

"Where am I?"

_The Force this is, young one, not a place. In time you will understand. Still so young, yet so old. Too old, but younger still than his father. Training him a mistake, it was. And yet..._

"My dad? You trained my dad?" Luke squinted, trying to see if he could make anything out in the light. There was nothing, meaning Luke was still alone. But he didn't feel scared. He felt safe.

_I did not. But trained he was, by Obi-Wan. Yes, Obi-Wan. Find you soon, he will. Keep you safe, he must. Wait for him, Luke. For Old Ben, you must wait._

The voice faded with those last words until it disappeared. "Wait!" Luke turned. "Come back!"

But Luke was already fading. His hands disappeared before his eyes. His thoughts came slowly. "The...dark...man..." Luke began. _Don't leave me with the dark man._ And then he woke up.

*

Luke was restless. It had been hours since he had woken, or at least it seemed like it. There was nothing to play with or explore in this small room, and he was tired of feeling lonely and afraid. He wanted to have _fun._

He swung his legs back and forth at the edge of the cot, sucking his thumb. Aunt Beru was always telling him not to suck his thumb. _Don't suck your thumb, Luke. It'll give you buck teeth._ Well, Aunt Beru wasn't here to tell him to stop. At least that was one nice thing about being away from home.

Luke smirked. There was no one here to tell him what not to do. He might as well try to explore. The dark figure was probably gone by now, and there was a whole castle to explore. He ran up to the door, trying to figure out how to get it to open. He thought of trying to use Force powers to open the door, but it turned out he didn't need to after all. A red light turned green and a moment later the door slid open. Luke squealed with delight and ran from the room.

He explored the castle, going from room to room. To his disappointment, it was mostly empty, and when it wasn't, the rooms were filled with sealed containers or locked outright. Still, the exploration was fun for a four-year-old. Occasionally he'd see a few grown-ups, and he would run to hide behind a corner or duck beneath a desk, but they never noticed him.

Eventually Luke found an open room filled to the brim with containers. One of the containers was open, its lid off to the side. He peeked inside, but it was empty. He was about to move on when he heard footsteps behind him, and a voice cried out in anger. "Hey, kid!"

Luke spun to see a tall figure in white. _A stormtrooper._ Another stormtrooper stood beside him, head cocked to the side. "What's a kid doing here?"

"Haven't you heard?" said the first. "One of the Sisters brought him, but Vader killed her. Rumor has it they have something special planned for him, but he's supposed to be locked in a room until then."

The second stormtrooper scoffed. "Seriously? Like Vader would take in some kid..."

Luke tuned him out, peering behind the stormtroopers and into the hallway. While the two continued arguing, he bolted out the door and into a room across the hall.

"Hey!" he heard one of them call after him. "Come back here!" Loud footsteps quickly followed. Luke opened a box and jumped inside, closing the lid clumsily atop him.

Lucky for him, there were small holes in the container to peek through so he could see what was going on near the doorway. The stormtroopers entered the room, gasping for air. "Where did that pest go?" one of them wheezed.

"He's gotta be in here somewhere. We can't lose him or Vader's gonna have our heads." They shut the door, locking it so he couldn't escape, and began searching the room, exiting Luke's narrow line of sight. He heard them opening containers. Soon enough they would find him, and then they'd take him back to the boring, empty room, and this time they'd make sure to lock the door. Luke was sucking his thumb, trying to think of a way to escape, when he saw it through another hole in the container. In the corner of the room was another doorway, only this door was open just a crack. If he jumped out of the box at just the right time, he could run past the stormtroopers and squeeze through the crack into the room.

Luke waited, anxiously sucking his thumb, ready to jump out at any moment. He heard one of the stormtroopers begin to unseal the lid, and just as he lifted it to reveal the boy, he pounced. "Hey!" the stormtrooper yelled.

The box fell over when Luke jumped, and Luke fell with it. He hissed, his knee stinging terribly, but pushed past the pain and stood up.

Luke bolted, the stormtroopers racing after him. One of them lunged for him at the same time the other raised his blaster. The blast hit his partner, stunning him. "Ow!" The stormtrooper who had missed his target then tripped over his friend, landing inches away from Luke, who stood by the door, laughing. He began to squeeze through the crack in the door, leaving the stormtroopers behind.

"Stop!” one of them cried. "You can't go in there."

"What the kriff is that door doing open?" said the other.

Luke ignored them, just squeezing through the doorway. He kicked the lid of a container that was keeping the door open and the door slid all the way shut.

A moment later one of the stormtroopers banged on the door.

"It's locked."

"I don't have clearance."

"Me neither. Vader's not gonna like this."

"Who's gonna tell him?"

"Not it!"

A long sigh. "Fine. If I die, I blame you." Footsteps faded as they walked away. Then, silence.

Luke giggled. The giggle soon turned into a laugh. He'd escaped. _Adventure is so much fun!_

The laugh faded, however, as he noticed the pain in his knee. It was scraped, badly. But Luke had dealt with worse on Tatooine, and the adventure had been well worth it. But the adventure wasn't over yet. Luke turned to explore the room he'd found himself in. He froze when he saw what sat in the center. A glowing orb, hovering midair.

Luke stared in awe, stepping closer. The object gave off a kind of aura, and it bathed the entire bare room with its light. He reached out as if to take the object in his hand. _What is this?_ It looked like a rock, except it was glowing, and white, and...

Luke didn't know the words to describe it.

He clasped the object in his hand, trying to get a closer look at whatever it was, and the world went dark. His body screamed with pain. Images pierced the darkness. At first, they were blurs of color, that then melded into shapes, and then people and places.

The images flashed so quickly he could barely make them out. A cloaked figure and a young boy dressed in robes. _There's good in him,_ a woman said. "Mom?" Luke called, though he didn't know how he knew it was her.

 _You shall henceforth be known as Darth Vader,_ the cloaked man spoke to the robed figure, who was now grown. He was kneeling, his face conflicted and sad. The vision changed. A woman, his mother, with the man who was called Vader. _Anakin,_ she said. "Dad?" Luke asked, his voice a whisper. _Be careful,_ she said. They hugged, and once again the vision changed.

 _Always two, there are._ An old voice that Luke recognized from his dream.

Then, a man. Luke stared. It was Old Ben, but younger. A baby in his arms, a woman lying beside him. His mother, the woman from before. _Luke,_ she said. Another baby. _Leia._

Luke spun and saw the disfigured face of his dad, Anakin Skywalker, as a mask descended. The mask of the dark man, the man the stormtroopers called Vader. Luke stumbled back, vaguely aware of tears in his eyes, dripping down his cheeks, and fell. The image disappeared. In its place, a girl, in a bedroom. A large bed was in the background, the walls colorful and toys scattered across the floor. She played with one. Her hair was dark, pulled back in two buns. She froze, then turned.

She was confused. She looked around, searching for something until her eyes met his. Her eyes narrowed, and Luke gasped. She opened her mouth to speak--

The stone was ripped from his hands and Luke was pulled from the vision, and he fell to the floor.

"What are you doing in here?" the dark figure, Vader, roared, the stone in his hands. "You were to stay in your quarters!"

Luke trembled. He stared at the mask, fear and discovery combining into one terrible emotion.

"He's injured." A female voice. Luke tried to turn to see who it was, but his head spun, and he fell back onto his side. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force out the pain. "We should take him to the medbay. Whatever he saw must have been too much for the poor child. He's so young, and the Force so strong--"

"Do what you must," interrupted Vader.

Luke, head swimming, looked at the figure he now knew as Darth Vader...and Anakin Skywalker. He muttered something under his breath as the world faded from consciousness. "Dad?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the comments and kudos, I super appreciate it. 💕
> 
> You might have noticed the change in rating, and I decided to do this for a couple reasons. Considering where this story goes...well, I probably wouldn't read it to my five-year-old brother. The biggest reason is that the next book in this series is definitely not meant for young kids and I thought it'd be best to rate both stories similarly.
> 
> This chapter sets up several things that will become important down the line. That stone Luke touches, for one thing. Other than a passing mention from Vader, we won't get an explanation for what it is until the beginning of the next arc. But don't worry, there will be an explanation eventually, and it's going to have a very big role in the fourth arc. So keep it in mind.
> 
> Fun fact, I originally had Yoda tell Luke that Vader was his father. HA. Most ooc moment I've ever written. Nah, Luke figures it out for himself, since he's a smart kid. Yoda's vision is more an easter egg than anything, but it does set up some stuff in the second arc. (A lot of this chapter connects to the second arc, haha.) 
> 
> And of course, the stormtrooper characters. Aka my favorite OCs ever. You'll get more from them in the next chapter, so stay tuned. They're so great I decided to give them a much larger role in this series than I originally intended. Hopefully you'll like them as much as I do.
> 
> Oh, one final thing. Yes, Luke and Leia have a Force bond, but it's not as strong as Rey and Ben's bond, since Luke and Leia aren't a dyad. But they are Force-sensitive twins, children of the Chosen One, and canon often hints at them having a kind of bond, like in TLJ and ESB. This is going to be a very big thing--you guessed it--in the second arc.
> 
> Well, that was a lot of rambling from me. Sorry about that. Lmk what you thought :)


	6. VI: An Accidental Kidnapping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're already halfway!! (Well, I've already written all this, but still.) This might be my favorite chapter...which is ironic, considering it was initially the hardest one for me to write. 
> 
> Enter: Sejj and Tad. My bois.

"Of course Vader put us on spy duty," said Sejj sarcastically. He fidgeted in the Adleraanian guard uniform, feeling so exposed outside of the stormtrooper armor. He ran a hand through his black stringy hair, the sensation foreign to him. "I'm not qualified for this kind of work!" Then something dawned on him. "He must have counted on that," he murmured.

"I'm just glad to be alive," said Tad, who stood across the hallway, shrugging. "That kid almost got pulverized by some magic rock from what I heard. Vader should've had our heads."

"That's the thing." Sejj pointed his finger in his partner's face. "Why let us live after the stunt we pulled? Not only that, but why put us on spy duty? It doesn't make sense. The man--if that is what he is--is out of his head." He shook his head. "Maybe I'm just paranoid."

"Nah, you're right," said Tad. "All the better for us, though."

"I don't know," said Sejj quietly, looking down the hallway where they stood guard in the Alderaan palace. According to the princess's daily schedule, at any moment she was meant to come through here with a servant for her nightly bath. So far, however, there was no sign of her.

Sejj wasn't sure what they were meant to do when she  _ did _ appear, but Vader had made it clear they were meant to keep their comlinks open to incoming transmissions, so he assumed a superior would let them know when the time came. What Vader had planned eluded him. His interest in the child was confusing in and of itself, but what purpose could spying on her possibly have? Did Vader plan on having them kidnap the girl? The idea was preposterous. The public would be outraged if they found out a princess of one of the Core worlds had been kidnapped, and by the Emperor's enforcer no less. No, he must have some other plan. What that was, Sejj had no idea.

Tad whistled a tune Sejj vaguely recognized as the song played during Imperial parades. Sejj squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut out the sound. With his nerves already wound tight, his whistling only served to wind them tighter. "Tad?" Tad ignored him. "Tad!" hissed Sejj, opening his eyes and sending him a death glare. " _ Shut. Up. _ "

Tad stopped humming, rolling his eyes. "Ah, my apologies. You're right, I _should_ be paying better attention to this  _ empty hallway. _ " He stepped forward, gesturing to the hallway with a wave of his arm, nearly smacking Sejj in the nose in the process.

"That's not the point." Sejj pushed his arm away. " _ Vader _ sent us on this mission. I can't have you screwing it up and getting us killed."

"Calm down, Sejj." Tad nudged him playfully, which only irritated him further. "Things will get back to normal soon enough. Stressing out only makes things worse, you know. Do you think I got through basic training by stressing myself out every day?"

Sejj huffed. It was true. Tad never got anxious about anything, and Sejj found himself more than making it up for the two of them combined.

"Remember that time I went through our basic training class half-clothed? And I still passed. Things can't get much worse than that." Sejj cracked a slight smile. Tad was infamous for taking twice as long to dress as his comrades. Tad had gone through the day during basic training in only his undergarments more time than Sejj could count. It was a miracle he hadn't been kicked out, but he suspected Tad's successful graduation had a little to do with his father being a high-ranking official in the Empire.

"There you go," said Tad at Sejj's smile, which had grown at the memories. The smile faded, however, when the line of thinking led him to remember how Tad had taken an eternity that morning in the washroom and nearly made them late for morning check-in.

"How can you be so calm?" asked Sejj.

Tad shrugged. "I dunno. Why are you always so uptight?"

"I just don't like  _ failure _ , Tad. You don't have to pay for your mistakes thanks to good-old dad, but I don't have that advantage. One mistake, and I'm dead. Literally. Besides, I don't like unfamiliar situations. If they'd trained me for this, then fine, put me on spy duty every day. But I don't know what I'm doing, and our orders were so vague that even if I  _ did _ I still wouldn't know  _ why _ . The only thing I can figure is Vader's setting us up for failure so he can off us while entertaining himself with our incompetence."

Finally, a crack in Tad's nonchalant composure. "Look, I don't like it either. But the way I see it, the sooner we get this over with, the better, so I might as well just do my job and not worry about messing it up."

Sejj sighed, finally releasing some of the tension in his shoulders. "You're right. Sorry."

"It's cool." Tad waved him off. "We all have our days. Remember that time in basic training--"

Sejj hushed him, holding up a finger. Tad protested for a moment, but then he heard it too. The screams of a young girl throwing a fit echoed down the hallway. A moment later, a servant girl appeared, dragging the princess by one hand. "Target within view," whispered Sejj into his comlink as Tad scrambled to stand at attention across the hallway.

"Come on, princess. It's time for your bath." The servant girl both looked and sounded exhausted as she dragged the girl, her shoulders hunched and dark bags under her eyes.

"No! I saw--there was--he looked--a boy looked at me! Go--take me--go back!" the girl stuttered, her face reddened with tears and determination. The servant girl did not relent, though she seemed close to breaking. She passed the two stormtroopers disguised as guards just as Sejj's comlink crackled and a voice came through from the other side. Before he could make out the words, the princess ripped out of the servant's grasp and ran back down the hallway, slamming straight into Sejj.

Sejj fell, on the way down hitting his head into the wall, hard. His comlink fell loose, tumbling into the hallway, where it was trampled by the servant as she shouted an apology. A moment later, both the princess and the servant were gone, leaving Sejj dazed on the ground and Tad staring down in horror.

"Are you okay?"

"What..." Sejj struggled to order his thoughts. "What did they say?" He waited for Tad to offer to help him up.

"Huh?" Tad stared at him in confusion. Sejj rolled his eyes and stood unsteadily to his feet by himself.

"On the comlink," said Sejj slowly. "What was their response?" He wiped down his spotless uniform, at the very least smoothing its wrinkles.

Tad's face turned a bright shade of pink, and Sejj's heart sank. "Uh, I lost mine. I was kinda relying on you..." His gaze traveled to the ground at the shattered comlink and he went paler than usual. "You know how I took a while in the washroom this morning?" Sejj nodded slowly, his anger dampened by the knowledge that he really should have known better. "I was kind of looking for it then, but I didn't find it..."

"Well then," said Sejj through clenched teeth. He struggled to remember what he heard before the comlink was knocked out of his ear and smashed into tiny pieces. He distinctly remembered a man saying "good," but after that... _ Seize the princess, be quick about it? _

No, that couldn't be right. His head still spun. He was missing something.

"What did you hear?" asked Tad.

"They said something about...kidnapping the princess." Sejj cringed at how ridiculous it sounded.

Tad just laughed. "Hilarious, man. Okay, what did they  _ really _ say?"

"I don't know! The comlink was knocked out of my ear before I could hear the rest, and the girl's screaming kind of muffled what little I  _ could _ hear, and my head still hurts--"

"Calm down, Sejj. Take a deep breath." He rested a steady hand on Sejj's shoulder, who obeyed. Once he was calmed down a bit, Tad asked, "Seriously though, what did they say?"

Sejj grunted, pushing away Tad's hand. "How about  _ you _ tell me? Mr. I-lost-my-comlink?”

"Hey." Tad held up his arms in surrender. "I said I was sorry."

"You said no such thing!"

"All right, so you heard them tell you to kidnap the princess. That's what we have to go off of, so I guess that's what we'll have to do." Tad began to saunter down the hallway in the direction the princess and servant had run off toward, leaving Sejj sputtering nonsense behind him.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" asked Sejj once he had gathered his thoughts, following after him.

Tag shrugged. "I'm just a stormtrooper, I'm not an idea guy. You tell me. All I know is we gotta obey orders." He frowned. "At least, the orders we think we got."

Sejj sighed. "Fine. But if anything goes wrong, I blame you."

"You're the one who got trampled by a four-year-old."

*

Leia was angry. Yes, she was scared, but more than that, she was furious. She clawed at the sack they'd shoved her in, biting the material, screaming bloody murder.

"Hurry up, Sejj!" she heard from one of the men who had taken her.

"She's heavy!" cried Sejj in protest, gasping for air. "And she's putting up a really good fight for a four-year-old."

"I-I-I'm four-and-three-quarters, Imperial scum!" Leia shouted, using an insult she'd heard her father use more than once. But the stormtrooper ignored her. Because that's exactly what he was. She'd heard them talking about the Empire, complaining about their lack of white armor. The only soldiers allowed to wear white armor were stormtroopers.

"We're almost there," said the one called Tad.

"One minute." Leia felt Sejj lowering the bag, but he didn’t open it to free her.

"Let--I want--let me out!"

"Shut up, princess," said Sejj through laborious breaths. "This will be much easier if you just  _ shut up _ ."

"There they are!" Leia perked up at the familiar voice. It was one of the Alderaanian guards, here to rescue her. "Freeze, under the name of Alderaanian law. You are under arrest for kidnapping--"

Leia was picked up again, jostled around in the sack as the men went running. A blaster shot rang out, but she couldn't tell who had fired it. "Hold your fire!" the Alderaanian guard shouted. "We can't risk hitting the princess."

"Over here," said Tad. Leia continued to fight, screaming to make sure the Alderaanian guards didn't lose her.

"Can't you shut her up?"

"No--time--" said Sejj through his heavy breaths. A few moments later the shouts from the Alderaanian guards seemed to go silent, but when Leia listened more closely, she could still hear them, though now they were muffled. The bag was dropped to the floor, and Leia tumbled out.

"Ow!" she cried, tears coming to her eyes. Her elbow hurt.

They were in a starship. "Get us out of here!" Sejj pushed Tad to the controls. "You know how to fly better than I do." Leia got to her feet, holding her elbow close as she walked up to the men.

"Are you kidding me? I--OW!" Tad spun, pushing Leia away. She spit out the bits of his skin still in her mouth, grinning. "That little Hutt-spawn bit me! I'm bleeding."

"Oh, shut up," said Sejj as Leia ran to the door that led out of the ship. She began pressing buttons, hoping one would let her escape. "I doubt the kid--hey!"

Sejj scooped Leia up, who screamed. "Start flying, Tad! Either get us out of here or you can handle this demon." He held up Leia, who growled at him.

Tad went pale. "Flying it is." He turned around, hissing at his bleeding bite mark. Sejj tossed Leia over his shoulder. She kicked her legs, punching the man's back. "Let--me--go!"

Sejj carried her across the length of the small ship and opened a door to a tiny closet. He set her down. "Stay in here and be a good little girl, okay?" Leia snarled. Sejj held up his hands. "Okay." He slammed the door shut, leaving her in the dark.

Leia was afraid of the dark. She screamed.


	7. VII: Father

In the end, Sejj had been the one to pilot the ship into orbit while Tad shot at their pursuers and the princess screamed in the closet. Luckily, Alderaan was a pacifist planet, meaning the other ships only had short-range blaster cannons. Unfortunately, that meant their stolen Alderaanian ship was similarly compromised. Now they were in orbit, having lost or shot down most of their pursuers. Tad was back with him in the cockpit. Part of him could barely believe they had gotten this far.

Now that he was no longer forced to tune out the princess's screams, they grated on him, and part of him felt bad for her. "Can you go see what's wrong with her?" asked Sejj.

"Are you kidding me? That kid's feral. I'm not messing with her. I'll pilot the ship." Tad practically shoved Sejj out of the pilot's seat, his face uncharacteristically twisted in fear. He really _was_ afraid of that kid. He couldn't blame him.

Sejj rolled his eyes. "It's all yours." He let Tad take over and walked back to the closet where he had left the girl, and opened the door. Leia was huddled in the corner, mid-scream. She fell silent, squinting her eyes at the light. 

"It's okay, little one. You're safe now."

The girl blinked, her eyes adjusting. "Are--are you taking me back home?"

Sejj hesitated. "Uh, well, no..."

The girl screamed. Sejj flinched. "No one's going to hear you," he shouted over her. "We're in space--"

The screaming stopped. "S-Space?" asked the princess in awe.

Sejj cleared his throat. "Yes--"

The princess jumped to her feet and climbed over Sejj to get past, leaving him with a scratched face and red fingerprints on his right forearm. Now in the cockpit, she looked out at the stars in awe. "I like--it's so--the stars are so pretty."

Sejj rubbed his face and got his feet, following the princess to join her and Tad. "Yes," he admitted. "It is beautiful." The truth was, he'd never really thought about the stars. They were ordinary, just another part of working out in space for most of his life. But now that he looked at them through the eyes of a little girl who had likely never been off-planet, he noticed their beauty through brand new lenses.

Tad called in to Vader's undercover ship as they approached, giving them codes and explaining the situation -- conveniently leaving out the part about the stolen princess. Sejj suspected he'd be the one who'd have to explain that once they docked. He sighed, resigned to whatever fate they had.  _ At least this time, it's not my fault.  _ The memory of shooting Tad with his blaster still haunted him. He'd been lucky he'd set it to stun. That was the reason the boy had gotten into that room and nearly killed himself.

Tad landed the ship, somewhat clumsily, in the docking bay. The princess lost her balance, falling back, but she didn't cry. Instead, she asked, "Where are we?"

Sejj bit his lip, shooting a glance at Tad, but he only shrugged. "Uh, you'll find out soon," said Sejj. "Come on, we need to...meet someone." Leia glared up at him, but she took his hand. She held up her chin. The princess no longer seemed like a spoiled brat, but strangely...regal. Sejj couldn't help but be proud of her bravery.

They exited the ship, Tad in the lead, Sejj behind him, holding the princess's hand. An officer stood at attention below.

"What is this?" The officer looked at Leia, his face twisting into a sneer. Leia stuck her tongue out at him, but Sejj held her back from doing worse.

"The princess, sir," said Sejj. He cleared his throat. "We--"

"Kidnapped her?" finished the officer incredulously.

"Weren't those your orders?" asked Tad uncertainly.

"No! Of course not, you fools! You must return her at once. Why, if the Emperor hears of this...well, I don't want to think of what might happen. Now hurry, before Vader--"

He was cut off as Vader entered the ship bay, cape billowing behind him. "What is this?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"My lord." The officer cowered before Vader, his voice trembling. "These  _ stormtrooper scum  _ have taken the princess, claiming they were following orders that were never given. I was just ordering them to return her at once, as what they did was entirely inappropriate and must be handled at--"

"No."

The officer blinked. "Excuse me?" Tad barely suppressed a laugh. Sejj felt dreadfully awkward and a bit grateful the attention had been drawn away from him. Perhaps there  _ was  _ a chance they'd get out of this alive.

"You will not return her. Not yet."

Leia, who had been silent so far, began to speak. "I-I wanna go home!" Her voice was fierce, drawing the attention of both Vader and the officer.

"Princess, I'm afraid--" began the officer, darting his eyes back and forth nervously.

"NOW!" she screamed. Sejj jumped back but found her grip on his hand had tightened. He gritted his teeth as her iron grip dug into his skin, cutting off circulation. "TAKE ME HOME NOW!"

She let go, falling to the ground and began thrashing herself in a violent fit on the floor. Sejj looked around to see everyone's gaze had turned to the toddler throwing a tantrum before Lord Vader.

"Take her to Luke's quarters," said Vader dismissively, as if he hadn't noticed her tantrum. "Notify me once she has calmed down." He left, leaving the child to be taken care of by someone else. The officer looked at Sejj and Tad.

"Well, you heard Lord Vader's orders," said the officer. He left, leaving Sejj alone with Tad, wincing at the screams of the princess at his feet. As she thrashed on the floor one of her feet kicked Tad in the shin, and he cried out, jumping on one foot.

"You're lucky I'm under official orders," said Tad through gritted teeth. "Or else I'd totally leave you to handle her on your own." He bent down to carry the princess, who bit at him.

"Since when do you respect official orders?" Sejj rolled his eyes.

"Shut up and help me, Sejj."

Sejj groaned and bent down to help. They hoisted the screaming, writhing child off the floor, barely dodging about half of her blows. They carried, dragged, and chased the girl throughout the halls until finally,  _ finally,  _ they reached Luke's quarters. Tad set down Leia, who was currently hanging over his shoulder. Screaming, she bolted for the door, but Sejj punched the close door button, trapping her inside. Leia looked up at him with a devil's stare and turned around.

Her shrieking immediately stopped. Her crying ceased.

Luke looked up at the visitors from some makeshift toys made from broken pieces of tech. "Hi!" His arm was bandaged, and he had a fading bruise on his chin, but otherwise, he looked completely healthy. The small part of Sejj that had remained worried about him since the incident inwardly let out a sigh of relief. Luke turned his gaze down at Leia, and his expression shifted from joy to awe. Leia returned the gaze with an identical look.

Sejj side-eyed Tad, who returned the look with equal confusion.

The children began to play with each other. Leia seemed calm now, and they both looked happy. "Well." Sejj clapped his hands together. "That's handled. Let's go."

"Yeah. Okay." Tad followed Sejj out of the room, who glanced back at the playing children one last time before shutting the door behind him.

"That was weird," said Tad.

"Let's never talk about today ever again." Tad nodded emphatically in agreement.

Sejj turned to return to the stormtrooper's quarters, Tad following close behind. He had been out of his stormtrooper armor for _far_ too long.

*

Vader marched through the hallway of his ship toward Luke's quarters. The girl had to return to Alderaan. Vader knew it on a logical level, and why he had told them to keep her was a mystery even to himself. Her presence put him at risk -- already, the news holos had exploded with the news of Leia's kidnapping, and at any moment, his master could learn the truth of their identity.

Part of him wanted to keep her, but he knew that was an impossibility if she was to remain safe. There was a logic in keeping his children hidden from him -- it kept them hidden from the Emperor as well. There was no immediate danger in keeping the boy, but the Princess of Alderaan was a different story. As much as it pained her to let her go, it had to be done.

He opened the door to his son's quarters with a wave of his hand. Inside he saw Luke and Leia playing together. Luke stopped, looking up at Vader, who loomed in the doorway. His face paled.

"Dad?" he asked.

Vader froze. How did the child know? Had the Mortis stone shown him something?

"That's your  _ dad _ ?" asked Leia.

The boy hesitated, looking at Vader as if for confirmation. "Um..."

"Come, Princess," said Vader, before Luke could continue. "It is time to return you to your parents."

Leia's face reddened. "No!" she shouted and hid behind her brother. "No, no, no!"

Vader stepped forward, but the children backed away. He stopped, looking at them closely for the first time. Luke was clean, his clothing no longer dirtied by the Tatooine sands, but his curly hair was a mess and needed to be trimmed. He was clearly frightened, protecting his sister with arms outstretched. Leia's buns had partially fallen out, leaving her hair a mess, and her dress was torn. She didn't seem as scared as her brother, more determined and angry. But her eyes...there was fear them, in those brown eyes that so reminded him of Padmé's.

His children were terrified of him. Pain stabbed Vader in the chest. Vader was no stranger to pain -- he lived with it as a constant in his life, so much so that he hardly noticed its presence. But this was different. It reminded him of that night so long ago, when he had seen a similar fear in the eyes of his wife. He had lashed out, choking her until she fell. For years he assumed he'd killed her then, though these children proved that assumption wrong.

He did not lash out now. Instead, he backed away, leaving the children be. "You may stay for the night," he said. His body trembled, but his voice did not reflect his imbalance. These children...they did something to him. Something he hadn't felt in so long. "Tomorrow, I will have you taken home." He left, letting the door slide closed behind him.

There he stood, outside Luke's quarters, thinking of Padmé. What had happened to her? Had she died in childbirth, just as the Force foretold? He knew she was gone. He had felt her death through the Force, and there was no need to separate the children if she had lived. The only parts of her left were in the room behind him, and they feared him. Would she fear him too, if she lived? He once again remembered her face as he choked her. Yes, there had been fear. No, terror -- and the desperate look of a woman who loved a man who had betrayed her.

If he could, Vader might have cried. He hadn't felt such deep sadness in so long, and the reason for the sudden onslaught eluded him. But he was spared from the feeling when he heard a voice.

"Lord Vader?"

Vader turned.

An officer balked. "Er--I was just wondering--you were just standing there--"

How long had the man been standing there? Vader siphoned his conflicted emotions, turning them to anger and reaching out, choking the officer through the Force, lifting him slightly off the ground. "What I do is none of your concern."

"Yes--my lord. I--apologize," choked out the officer, his face growing paler by the moment. Vader could not allow the man to live, not after what he'd seen. The officer groped at his neck, his moments becoming sloppier, slower...

Vader let go, letting the officer fall to his knees. He couldn't go through with it. His hand, the one that he had held out to choke the man, shook. Without thinking, he said, "I want you to prepare separate living quarters for the girl. Once we arrive on Mustafar, she is to have her own quarters there, near the boy's room."

"Yes, sir." The officer stood, shakily, his gaze cast downward.

Vader nodded and headed to his own quarters on the far side of the ship.

*

Vader paced, the events of the night haunting him. He'd let the officer live, a choice he knew he'd come to regret. Why had he told him to prepare living quarters for Leia? He should have told him to head back to Alderaan and return her. And yet, he couldn't muster the will to reverse such decisions, even now as his fury raged at his own stupidity.

Those stormtroopers -- the ones who had kidnapped the girl. They were the ones to blame for this. If they had not made their mistake, he wouldn't be forced to make such impossible decisions. They would have to pay. Vader stopped pacing.

Just as Vader turned to exit his quarters, he heard a small voice. His fury forgotten, he opened the door with the Force to reveal Luke standing there, tears streaking down his face.

"Dad?"

Vader didn't speak, couldn't think. His mind went numb as he looked at the child, crying at his doorstep, and all plans he'd had were forgotten. How could he confirm the child's question? Luke deserved better than this, a man imprisoned in his own suit, unable to make the choices needed to keep his children safe.

"I miss them." Luke sniffed. He wiped his face on his sleeve, which did little to clean it of his snot and tears. "I miss Tatooine, and Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen." He began to cry again, as he clearly had been for a while. "I want to go home."

Vader stepped toward his son, who did not back away. Had his son followed him here? If so, why? Did he seek comfort from a monstrous creature?

"You lived with your aunt and uncle?" asked Vader, the words coming unprompted.

Luke nodded, still standing in the doorway. "Old Ben Kenobi visited sometimes too. I miss him."

The child's words were hard to make out, due to the mispronunciations of a toddler and his sobbing, but Vader thought he had heard him say  _ Kenobi. _

_ Of course. He would watch over the child, protect him from any dangers...from me.  _ The realization, the truth of it, hit him all at once. Kenobi had hidden his children, yes. But it had not only been to hide them from the Emperor. It had been to hide them from him, too. Darth Vader, a monster.

Luke stepped inside, and the door slid shut behind him. He  looked up at Vader, at the mask, and sniffed. "Are you really my dad?"

Vader looked down at him, at the tears on his face, and replied. "Yes." The word was harsh, transformed by the voice modulator.

More tears streaked down the boy's face. "I thought--she said--" He struggled to get the words out, and Vader could only make out half of them. But he  _ did  _ hear one word.  _ Jedi. _

Finally, Vader knelt before the weeping child, who was still saying something he couldn't quite understand. But he  _ wanted  _ to understand. He wrapped his arms around Luke, and the boy rested his head on his shoulder. Luke trembled slightly for a moment, but gradually fell into the embrace, as Anakin comforted his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANAKIN IS BACK, BABY!  
> Eh, okay, it's more complicated than that. But he really does love his son. 🥺
> 
> In case you were wondering, Luke was talking about the Inquisitor at the end, and how he'd wanted his father to train him to be a Jedi. Poor baby :(


	8. VIII: The Emperor

Obi-Wan shook his head as he stared at the news holo in his ship. Darth Vader was bold, kidnapping the princess in broad daylight. It shouldn't have surprised him—after all, Anakin had been the boldest man Obi-Wan knew. He didn't like to think of Vader as a man who had once been his best friend. It was a ridiculous folly, one born out of the bond they never should have forged. It would have spared him so much pain if Anakin was just another padawan, one other Jedi, instead of the man who had become like a brother to him.

He shook his head, shaking the thoughts as he switched networks. Princess Leia's kidnapping was the top headline on all the news networks, which meant the Emperor would learn of it soon—if he hadn't been behind her abduction in the first place. He was running out of time.

If only he'd been able to track down any substantial leads. The crooks of Mos Eisley hadn't wanted to talk, and any leads he  _ had  _ gotten from the few big-mouthed criminals went cold once the boy and his kidnapper left the planet. At least he knew one thing from their reports: it was an Inquisitor who'd kidnapped Luke. A woman dressed in black, with long red hair and a lightsaber to match. A Sister.

Obi-Wan leaned back, stroking his beard. Leia's kidnapping meant Vader had made the connection—he knew the truth and likely held both of them captive at this moment. Frustration grew inside him—he was wasting time. He needed to act, and he needed to act  _ now.  _ The problem was, the Emperor's enforcer's whereabouts were kept top-secret when he wasn't oppressing the people of the galaxy. While he knew who Luke and Leia were likely  _ with,  _ he had no idea where that might  _ be. _

Obi-Wan had no leads. No ideas. No time.

But, he did have the Force.

He shut off the news holo, shifted to kneel on the floor, and meditated. He let the Force guide him, letting go of any preconceived notions, worries, or thoughts that warred in his mind.  _ There is nothing but the Force. I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.  _ A sense of peace washed over him, but it didn't last for long. The Force was troubled, and as Obi-Wan let the Force become one with his being, that sense of disturbance grew stronger.

_ Where can I find them?  _ An answer came to him over the course of time. A planet. The last place he had seen Anakin. Memories and emotions associated with the horrible place washed over him. The burning figure of a man he had once called his brother, now taken over by that  _ thing  _ called Darth Vader, who now sought to claim the children he'd rejected the night he betrayed his wife and left her for dead.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes, breaking out of the Force-induced trance. He entered coordinates into the ship's hyperdrive, pushing aside the dread he felt.

_ Mustafar. _

_ * _

"What is thy bidding, my master?" Vader knelt before the holo of his master. A hood disguised the Emperor's face, despite that the formality was unnecessary in his private chambers.

He had not returned the girl. They had reached Mustafar by now, nowhere near Alderaan, which meant the galaxy-wide search for the princess wasn't likely to reach them anytime soon. The longer she stayed, the harder it was to give her up.

They held no right to his daughter. She was  _ his  _ child,  _ his  _ flesh and bone. She was no princess of Alderaan—her royalty came from Naboo alone.

"Lord Vader." The Emperor's words snapped Vader back to the present. He buried his feelings, hiding them from his master should he search his mind. "Have you heard of the princess's kidnapping?"

_ He knows.  _ His master was testing him to see what his reaction might be. "Yes, my lord," said Vader.

"They are saying it was an Imperial act."

"Yes, my lord," he repeated.

"You must find out who has done this in my name, Lord Vader, and return the princess of Alderaan once you find her. This mistake must be undone at once. I cannot have my reputation tarnished. Be sure to make an example of the one who has committed this crime."

"Yes, my lord."

A pause. A horrible, dreadful pause. Vader steeled his mind, blocking out any thoughts that might reveal his intentions. But his feelings remained open to his master, as they always had been. The Emperor began to laugh. "Your feelings betray you, Lord Vader. I sense  _ you  _ had something to do with the princess's kidnapping."

Darth Vader bowed his head, bracing for what he had to say next. "I had some of my men stationed to spy on her, my lord. They seized her by mistake. I will return her at once."

"Why spy on the princess, my apprentice?" Disapproval lined his words, a tone Vader had come to know well in his years under the Emperor. He treaded unsteady ground.

"She is Force-sensitive, my master." It was true—the girl was powerful in the Force, same as the boy. She had not been tested, but Vader could sense it.

"I see. I want to see this girl for myself, if she has drawn your attention in this manner. Make preparations for my arrival, Lord Vader."

Vader looked up, panic seizing him. "That won't be necessary, my master. She is no threat. I misjudged her sensitivity to the Force, and planned to return her." The lie was obvious. The Emperor's lips twisted into a smile.

"Nonsense, Lord Vader. I shall arrive within a few standard cycles." The Emperor laughed again, a sick laugh that haunted even Vader's twisted soul. The holo switched off, leaving Vader alone in his dark chambers.

*

An officer led Vader through the halls of his castle, toward a ship that would take them to his master's next mission, which he had received shortly after the Emperor's holo call. The officer was explaining something, though Vader did not make out most of what was said. He had found it difficult to concentrate these last few days, and the Emperor's call had only exacerbated the issue. He couldn't hide the truth from him for long. He had to let the children go, yet the thought of allowing his last connections to his wife go was nearly inconceivable.

_ Kenobi. He'd know what to do.  _ The thought came to him unbidden, and he struggled to dismiss it. But no—he could handle the situation himself and find a way to protect them. He wouldn't lose them like he'd lost everyone else. They boarded the ship, and a few moments later, they were off amongst the stars.

Vader stood at bridge of the ship when he felt a tug on his cape, and he spun to see Luke and Leia behind him. Leia was holding something in one hand, her other hand gripped on his cape.

"What are you child scum doing here?" an officer snarled. "I apologize, my lord. They must have snuck on board. What should I—"

"Excuse us." He waved a hand, dismissing the officer, who shot him a sideways glance and walked away, leaving them alone. He was well aware of the rumors about his relationship with his children. Some speculated he had gone soft, while others postulated he was raising them to be some kind of dark Jedi like the Inquisitors.

"Dad?" asked Luke. "Leia found something, and she wants you to teach us how to play it."

_ Dad.  _ The term was still so foreign, so strange. So...inappropriate. And yet, Anakin couldn't bring himself to correct the boy. Leia held up a box, one he recognized from his years in the Clone Wars. He'd learned how to play the game years ago, and he had taught it to Ahsoka on one of their many missions. They'd played it countless times together during longer trips through hyperspace. How the children had found the cards was beyond him—perhaps from one of his officers.

Vader ripped his cape from Leia's grasp. She stumbled slightly, her face falling. "Find someone else to teach you Sabacc," said Vader, turning to leave and fetch someone else to handle the children. The memories were already too much, and he couldn't afford a distraction now. He had a mission to focus on and needed to figure out a way to protect these children from the Emperor of the galaxy. It was not the time for a ridiculous card game.

"Wait!" Leia called, her voice sharp. She stuttered, struggling to get out the words. Finally, she said, "I want to play with  _ you.  _ Not anyone else."

He stopped. The girl reminded him so much of Ahsoka. Her stubbornness, her utter unwillingness to back down from a fight no matter the odds. He turned back around and looked into the young girl's steely glare and the young boy's pleading eyes.

"All right," said Anakin with a sigh. "I will explain the rules, and we may play one round. Then I must go."

"Where?" asked Luke.

"That is none of your concern." He snatched the card box from Leia's hands.

He led them across the ship to his private quarters and set the cards on a small table in the corner of the room. He sat across from his children, who looked up at him eagerly. He emptied the cards from their box and began shuffling them.  _ This is ridiculous,  _ he thought. He hadn't done something like this in years. He barely even remembered the rules of the game.

But as he began to explain the rules to the children—who he wasn't even sure understood any of what he said—they came back to him easily.  _ Play a perfect 23, or close to it, but never higher. An Idiot's Array beats any other hand. _ Leia looked at him with bright, focused eyes as he explained, while Luke stared at the cards as he shuffled them, clearly paying little attention. He dealt the cards and they began to play.

At Luke's turn, he had to repeat the rules of the game a second time, and the boy still seemed confused. It reminded Anakin of the time he had tried to play with Padmé, and she'd quit before the round was completed, claiming she had proposals to review before her Senate meeting.

Leia played the game like a pro, her face hard as stone as she played. The four-going-on-five year old somehow understood the game perfectly, it seemed. He felt a stab of guilt. She'd grown up in these few years, and he'd missed so much of his own daughter's childhood. Years he could never get back. He wanted to blame Obi-Wan, as he had before, for keeping his children hidden. But it was becoming more challenging to shift the blame onto anyone but himself.

Finally, it was his turn, and then they revealed their hands. Luke's cards were random, as he had expected. Leia's, however...

_ "An Idiot's Array?" _

Leia looked up at him smugly, her cute chin jutted upward with pride.

"I win!" she exclaimed.

"I...was distracted," he said as an explanation. He stood, gathering the cards into their box. "Now, I will fetch someone to care for you, and—"

"No! Stay," Leia reached out her tiny hand, placing it on top of his own as he reached for another stray card. "Play again! Please?" Anakin froze, meeting his daughter’s pleading eyes.

Luke yawned, his eyes drooping. It was probably late for the children, but Leia seemed awake and alert.

Vader had hours until the ship would arrive at its destination. Once again, he found himself caving to the will of his child. He sat, and they played a second round, and then a third.

Luke fell asleep after the third round, his head resting on the table, drool puddling at the edge. Leia tried to wake him, but Anakin hushed her. He took the sleeping boy into his arms and carried him to his cot, where he gingerly covered him with a blanket. A part of him melted as he looked at his son. He felt the urge to kiss the child goodnight, but that was a privilege he’d never be afforded. Once again, a pang of guilt surged through him in the place rage at Obi-Wan might have been. He turned away, returning to the table where his daughter still sat, waiting. The two of them continued to play together, Leia winning more rounds than he'd like to admit.

Leia chewed her lip, contemplating something silently. "Is Luke--are you really his dad?" Leia asked, looking up at him, her head tilted in confusion. "I don't--he says so, but I told him he's crazy."

His response came easily this time. "Yes," said Anakin. "And you are his sister." He meant the words to be solemn, but his voice modulator failed him as it had so many times before.

Leia blinked. Then she began to laugh, high-pitched giggles that filled the room. "That's--you're--you're funny."

"No." He hesitated. "It is true. I am your father."

Leia's laughs subsided and she frowned. "No--but--you aren't my dad. My dad is the king of Alderaan."

"He adopted you, Leia. Your... _parents_...took you in as a baby. But your real parents...your mother died. And I...became this."

Leia furrowed her brow. "That doesn't make sense." She stared at her cards, a deep, troubled frown in the place of what had so recently been a childish grin.

"I know." Anakin meant to say it quietly, but once again, his voice modulator did not comply. He didn't expect the girl to understand. She may have been an above-average card player, but she was still young. Eventually, however, she would understand, and he knew she was unlikely to forgive him for it.

"One more round?" he asked. Leia nodded voraciously. "Then it is time for bed, young one."

Leia whined but eventually acceded. She yawned as he dealt the cards, despite her protests. When the round was over, she allowed him to carry her over to the cot. He laid her down across from her brother, who was snoring. "Goodnight," she murmured.

"Goodnight," said Anakin, as his young daughter fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are nearing the end. (But keep in mind that the end of this fic is not the end of the story—I am in the process of writing the sequel right now.)
> 
> Obi-Wan: he left his wife for dead!  
> Also Obi-Wan: literally left Anakin to die  
> Oh, poor souls. By the time of ANH, Obi-Wan has moved on from Anakin’s betrayal, but things are very raw still for the both of them, barely five years later. (That’s why Vader is so much more easily turned back toward the Light. Plus, his kids are just so cute!)
> 
> I have a [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/ben-lives) (not that I post all that much) where I’ve begun posting my (only semi-okay) [art](https://ben-lives.tumblr.com/post/621305420297945088/darth-vader-looking-into-a-certain-princess-of). I got an Apple Pencil and I’m drawing on Procreate now. I’m still new to art so I’m not the best but I’m hoping to improve through practice. But anyway, if you’re interested you can follow me on there. I’ll be drawing a lot of fanart for this fic.


	9. IX: Battle of the Fallen

Obi-Wan exited hyperspace and looked down at the planet. Mustafar's lava surface loomed beneath him. Repressed memories returned to him in a wave. He'd left his best friend here and swore to himself never to return. And yet, here he was. As he neared the planet, he spotted a castle, black and stark against the fiery surface. No ships rose to stop Obi-Wan from approaching.

He reached out with the Force, searching for his former friend. Instead, he sensed Luke and his sister. He breathed a sigh of relief. They were at peace and safe, asleep inside the castle. His resolve strengthed. He couldn't fail them now.

The ship landed on the platform near the castle. He opened the door, hesitantly walking out. A severe sense of déjà vu washed over him. It took every fiber of his being to fight the crippling emotions that threatened to take over. He stepped forward, approaching the front door of the castle. His hand inched closer to his lightsaber -- the longer he went on without resistance, the more he suspected he was walking straight into a trap.

The doors of the castle opened before him, and Obi-Wan stumbled back. He stared at the tall doorway and the utter darkness beyond it. He stepped forward.

The doors slid shut behind him, and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. A large circular room surrounded him, utterly empty, an occasional doorway leading into dark hallways. A window as tall as the wall allowed some light to enter, but as the sun was down, the only light was the red glow of flowing lava from outside.

Obi-Wan tentatively stepped forward, his echoing footsteps giving away his location to any hidden enemies. He circled the room, finding nothing.

The sound of a lightsaber blade igniting from behind him -- Obi-Wan spun, igniting his saber in defense. There, framed in a doorway across the room, stood a figure, illuminated by the red blade and lights of its life-support systems. A mask, highlighted in red, gazed at him menacingly, a cape billowing behind him.

"My old master," said Darth Vader. "We meet again."

Obi-Wan lifted his blade. "Where are you keeping them?"

"You've gotten old, Obi-Wan. These years have not been kind to you." Vader stood still, waiting for Obi-Wan to approach him. Obi-Wan stepped forward tentatively, blade still raised.

"They haven't been much kinder to you, Darth." He used the title as an insult, hoping some part of whatever good was left in Anakin would recognize the irony of it. He should have destroyed the Sith -- and here he was, bearing the name and title of one himself. He pushed down the growing feelings of anger and betrayal.  _ A Jedi must remain focused. _

"Where are they? Where have you hidden them?"

"You mean my children?" asked Vader. "The ones you stole from me and hid away so I would never find them?"

"They aren't your children, Darth. You gave up any rights to them when you nearly killed them and your wife."

"Nearly?" Vader stepped forward slightly, his saber lowering slightly. "My master told me she died then. Is she--"

"She died in childbirth." Obi-Wan looked down, no longer able to meet the gaze of that mask as he relived the memory of Padmé's death. "We couldn't save her. She was healthy, but after giving birth to the twins, she simply...gave up the will to live. I was there. Her last words..."  _ There's still good in him. I know it. _

Obi-Wan tightened his grip on the saber. She had died believing a lie. There was no more good left in this monster.

He charged, bringing his blade down. Vader parried the blow easily, standing his ground. They stood there for a moment, and Obi-Wan stared into the mask just inches from his face. Emotionless. Inhuman. He swung again, pushing Vader back a step. Vader swung back, his blade a dark red in contrast to his bright blue saber. They went back and forth, Vader gaining on Obi-Wan until they stood near the center of the room. "What did she say?" insisted Vader, their blades locked.

Obi-Wan ripped his blade back, stumbling slightly. "She died believing in you. In _Anakin_. But I can see now that the Anakin she knew is dead, leaving this in his place. An empty shell, more machine than man."

Vader did not react. They circled one another, waiting for the other to continue the fight. This battle was not like their last. Vader was right -- he had gotten old these past few years. They both had.

"What do you plan on doing with those children, Darth? Experiment on them? Train them in the ways of the Sith? Or something far worse?"

"No." The word echoed through the hall, and Obi-Wan froze. He sensed something in that word. Was it pain? Regret? Perhaps it was a little of both. Whatever it was, it was genuine. "I don't know what I want with them, Obi-Wan." Vader lowered his blade, and for the first time, Obi-Wan recognized something from his old friend in Vader. "But they remind me of her. I cannot give them up, not now that I know they're alive. Part of her lives on through them."

"And when the Emperor discovers you have them? What then? You know he won't spare them once he discovers who they are."

"He already has." Was that...sorrow, in his voice? Obi-Wan shook his head, backing away. "He's on his way now," continued Vader, "coming to see Leia, and he'll surely discover Luke as well. I cannot hide the truth from him for much longer."

"This is why we hid them away," said Obi-Wan desperately, more to himself than to Vader. "So they could grow up, far from the Emperor's grasp. It was all for nothing."

"No." Light began to filter through the windows as the sun rose, illuminating the room with reddish-yellow light. "I refuse to let my master harm my children. I won't allow anything to happen to them."

Obi-Wan despised the idea of helping this creature, though he now knew part of Anakin must be buried deep inside. However, he had vowed to protect Luke and Leia, and this might be the only way. He took a deep breath, retracting his blade. "If we work together, perhaps we can defend this castle and allow them to escape. They can go back into hiding."

Vader retracted his lightsaber and stepped forward, stopping only a few feet away. "You would help me? After all I have done?"

"Yes." The word was easier to get out than Obi-Wan anticipated. "I will, if only to protect Luke and Leia. But also...because I believe there is good in you. At least, I hope there is, if only for their sake."

Vader seemed to accept the reasoning. Emotion welled up in Obi-Wan, but he buried it before it could rise to the surface. He could not lose his focus. "Now, when is the Emperor due to arrive?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter before we reach the end.
> 
> And so the final showdown begins next week.
> 
> Enjoy the peace while it lasts.


	10. X: Sacrifice

Luke woke to someone shaking his shoulders, saying his name. The voice was familiar, one he remembered from Tatooine.

He opened his eyes to see Old Ben standing above him. Luke jumped up on his cot. "Old Ben!" he shouted, falling into a hug. Old Ben stumbled back, surprised, and hugged the boy back.

"Luke," said Old Ben softly, squeezing him tight. Then he let go, holding Luke at arm's length. On his bed Luke was nearly the same height as him. "We must hurry. Get your sister and follow me." 

Luke blinked in confusion. “What?”

"Leia. I thought he would have--” Obi-Wan shook his head. “Nevermind."

"Where are we going?" asked Luke. "I don't want to leave. I want to stay with my dad."

Old Ben stared at him, his face twisted in confusion. The emotion disappeared in a moment, however, replaced by resolve. "You won't be. You're -- _we_ are leaving this planet. Together."

Luke nodded, relieved. His dad might have been scary at first, but Luke knew he loved him, deep down. He opened his mouth to ask about what Old Ben had meant by Leia being his sister, but Old Ben cut him off. "There's no time, I'm sorry. We need to find Leia."

Luke scrambled off the bed and picked up a sack full of the few belongings he had been given during his stay on Mustafar, and Obi-Wan helped him pull it over his shoulders onto his back. He ran to Leia's room, leaving Old Ben behind. He was excited to leave this place with his father and Old Ben, most likely to return to Tatooine and his aunt and uncle. They could all live together, and then maybe his dad could finally teach him how to be a Jedi. 

Luke approached Leia's room down the hallway and opened the door, revealing her sleeping figure on her cot. He ran up to her bed. "Psst," said Luke in her ear. "Leia."

She grunted angrily, rolling over to face away from him, pulling her blanket over her head. "Leia!" he said louder.

Leia shrieked, somehow managing to kick Luke right in the face. "Ow!" Luke held a palm to his cheek. "Wake up!" he said, louder. She ignored him, settling back into bed. Luke frowned, eyeing the pillow under her head. With a sly grin, he ripped the pillow out from under her. Leia gasped, finally opening her eyes. She grasped at empty air, trying to find her missing pillow. Luke hit her with the pillow, giggling.

"Stop it!" shouted Leia, holding up her hands.

"Then wake up!" said Luke.

"Fine!" Leia snatched the pillow from Luke, hitting him back as revenge. "Meanie."

"Old Ben is here. We have to leave."

"Old who?" Leia tilted her head in confusion.

"He's my friend. Now come _on,_ he said to hurry!"

Leia frowned. "Where--who--where is he?"

"Children," whispered Old Ben. Luke spun to see him standing in the doorway. "Come on."

Leia got out of bed, bringing her blanket with her, and followed Luke out of her room. She wore a baggy officer's uniform, the sleeves cut off, matching her brother.

"You gonna bring that with you?" Luke teased, and Leia hugged the blanket closer, sticking her tongue out at him. She ran ahead, and Luke hurried to catch up.

"Who--who are you?" asked Leia, looking up at Old Ben.

Old Ben smiled at her. "I'm Luke's friend, from Tatooine, where he's from. You can call me Old Ben.” He sighed, his smile fading slightly. “I'm sorry to wake you two up so early, but I'm afraid there's danger coming, and you must leave this place to be safe." Luke felt a shiver of fear, and he slid his hand into Old Ben's. Then Leia looked at Luke and took his free hand in hers, clutching her blanket a bit tighter in her other hand.

Old Ben took them to a ship Luke had never seen before. It looked old, covered in dust and grime. Like something that had been on Tatooine for years. They entered the ship and he took them to the cockpit. Through the cockpit's window, Luke could see the outside sky, which was a mix of deep red and navy blue. The sun was only just beginning to rise. "You two stay here," said Old Ben. "If I don't return before you can see the sun in the sky, press this button." He pointed to a large blue button in the center console with letters Luke couldn't read. "It'll take you to somewhere safe, okay?"

Luke looked up at Old Ben in confusion. "Don't look at me like that, Luke. Things will turn out all right. But I must go. Stay here, no matter what. Keep each other safe. And _stay hidden._ No matter what."

Luke couldn't find his voice. They had only been reunited for a moment, and he was already going to leave them? In the end, it was Leia who replied, without a stutter. "Okay. We will, Old Ben. Promise."

Old Ben's worried face softened. He bent down. "Come here." He opened his arms for a hug, pulling them close, squeezing tight. "Goodbye," Luke thought he heard him say, though he said it so quietly, he couldn't be sure. Then he stood and left, pausing in the doorway, looking back one last time before walking away. The door closed behind him.

Luke looked at Leia, and she glanced back, her eyes worried, but determined as ever. They snuggled close, sitting on the ground, waiting for him to return.

*

Obi-Wan stroked his beard, guilt coursing through him for leaving the children. _It's for the best,_ he told himself. _You must keep them safe._ Besides, he hadn't left them completely alone. After leaving the hangar he'd sent the first two stormtroopers he spotted to watch over the twins, giving them the same instructions about watching for the sunrise.

Vader waited for him in the entry hall where they had fought less than an hour before. 

"They're safe," he said. "Two of your men are looking after them, and they know what to do should anything happen to us." Vader nodded, silent. "You should join them." Obi-Wan had already brought up the point, hoping Vader would agree and make his job much easier. Despite everything, it was clear to him that the man he had once known as his brother was still there, beneath this creature’s mask, buried under layers of twisted anger and pain. Though Obi-Wan hated to admit it, Vader was Luke and Leia’s last hope. He only prayed there was enough of his old friend left that he could be the father they deserved.

"No," said Vader, as he had expected. "We discussed this. We must take him together." Obi-Wan nodded, though inwardly, they both knew it was for naught. Even together, they were no match for the Emperor.

"I must prepare my men," said Vader. "I will dispatch a squad of troopers to do reconnaissance outside the castle and let us know when he arrives."

"I'll go with them," volunteered Obi-Wan. Vader nodded. It was almost like the old times, during the Clone Wars. He could almost pretend this was another battle against the Separatists. Except things had changed, and this wasn't a mere battle against a faux army. They faced the Emperor himself, and the lives of the Skywalker children hung in the balance.

Vader handed Obi-Wan a comlink. "Let me know when he arrives. Remember, we must attack together. The Emperor is a formidable foe -- I know I cannot take him alone."

"Together," confirmed Obi-Wan weakly, forming a fist around the comlink. "I'll see you again soon…” He let out a shuddering breath and looked into the eyes of the mask that covered his friend’s face. “Anakin."

The mask stared at him, but he could feel the shocked gaze of the man that lay underneath. Anakin did not respond. He did not have to.

*

Obi-Wan looked down at the platform below, surrounded by a squad of stormtroopers. He wouldn't be able to buy much time, but he hoped it would be enough. Guilt weighed on him, knowing he was sending these men to their deaths. It wasn't a foreign feeling -- he had felt it many times during the Clone Wars. This guilt weighed heavier, however, knowing he was betraying his friend.

A noise caught his attention from above, and he turned his gaze to a ship making its landing approach. Anakin would be inside the castle, unable to see the approaching ship, waiting for Obi-Wan's signal. But instead of warning him of the Emperor's arrival, Obi-Wan signaled to an officer who stood among the stormtroopers to come closer. "Send half of your men to guard the entrance to the castle. Do everything you can to keep Lord Vader from exiting. Tell the rest of your men to follow me."

The officer looked at him in confusion. "Sir, this wasn't part of Lord Vader's--"

"I am your commander now," said Obi-Wan. "Follow my orders." He took out his lightsaber, preparing for the coming battle.

"Yes, sir," said the officer, still looking uncertain. He began relaying the orders to his men, leading a group of them to guard the castle entrance as requested. Obi-Wan handed the officer a detonator.

"Use this to block the entrance. I have explosives ready and charged."

The officer looked at him with true concern, but nodded, his face pale.

Obi-Wan looked at the ship as it landed. Of course, he couldn't guarantee Anakin wouldn't try saving him anyway -- if there was anything he knew about his friend, it was that he was courageous to a fault. But he'd waste too much time doing it, and if Obi-Wan's plan went as it should, he wouldn't arrive in time to save him anyway. 

Obi-Wan prayed he had the sense to realize that the only way to protect his children was if he escaped with them, leaving him behind. The children needed someone to care for them, and he didn't trust a couple of stormtroopers to get them to Tatooine, let alone raise them. Besides, Tatooine was compromised. Too many people knew where the boy had spent his short life. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, the Force be with them, could not raise either of the children any longer. Anakin was the best chance they had.

The Emperor exited the ship, slowly approaching Vader's castle. Obi-Wan finally turned on his comlink as he heard an explosion erupt beneath him. "I've bought you some time. Don't try to save me -- save your children and escape while you can. This is your only chance. May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan shut off the comlink just as he heard Anakin begin to protest. He threw it to the ground, igniting his lightsaber. There was no turning back now.

"Forward!" he commanded, and charged.

Obi-Wan jumped down from the castle’s platform, landing a few feet away from the Emperor, who was just exiting his ship, flanked by stormtroopers in black armor. His hood disguised his expression. Obi-Wan smirked. "Hello there _._ " There were times he had longed for revenge against this man. He'd been the master of Darth Maul, who killed Qui-Gon, and the man who'd manipulated Anakin since his childhood and turned him to the Dark Side. But most importantly, he had fooled the Jedi Order, conjuring up a war just to put himself in a place of ultimate power.

But during his time on Tatooine, that longing for revenge had faded. It did not motivate him now, as he stood before him. All that mattered was giving the Skywalkers time to escape so they might have a chance at defeating the Emperor one day in the future.

"Ah, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi." The Emperor smiled. "You sense the conflict in him too, I see. Come to save him, have you? Or are you just here for the children?"

"I'm not here to play your games, Emperor," said Obi-Wan.

"Then what are you here for?" Palpatine's voice twisted, turning dark. "You're wasting my time. Kill him." Beside him, the black stormtroopers raised their blasters. Obi-Wan widened his stance, his own stormtroopers raising their blasters in turn. _Just stay alive as long as possible,_ he told himself.

Blasters fired. Obi-Wan deflected them all, sending them back into the Emperor's trooper's chests, and they fell. More stormtroopers filed in from inside the ship to replace them. Obi-Wan's stormtroopers fired back, overpowering the Emperor's small battalion. He'd obviously not come prepared for combat. The Emperor did not seem worried, however; merely annoyed Obi-Wan had survived this long. Soon, the Emperor was left undefended. However, no more blasters shot out, the few stormtroopers left not daring to make an attempt on their Emperor's life.

"It seems I'll have to kill you myself," said the Emperor, raising his hands. Lightning burst forth, enveloping Obi-Wan in an instant. He dropped his saber, writhing as he fell to his knees. The world began to go white at the edges, his entire existence becoming a pure sensation of pain. It felt like his mind was short-circuiting.

 _Farewell, Anakin,_ he thought, as tears of both pain and sorrow came to his eyes. _Take care of Luke and Leia._ Perhaps one day they would become strong enough to defeat the Emperor once they were grown. Obi-Wan would have to hope.

The world faded in a blast of pain and light, and yet Obi-Wan was at peace. The Light welcomed him as he became one with the Force.

*

 _This wasn't the plan,_ raged Vader, as the entrance to his castle crumbled into a pile of rocks, making the outside inaccessible. They were meant to go together and face the Emperor as one. Fury burned in him at the betrayal. Stormtroopers raised their blasters against Vader as he attempted to lift the rubble and save his friend. Shots fired, but he dissolved the energy blasts midair. He swung his lightsaber, blocking the shots he missed. He lifted a stormtrooper, flung him across the room, and marched forward.

He would not allow Obi-Wan to sacrifice himself so recklessly. Despite all the anger he'd held against his old friend for so long, he found the idea of losing him inconceivable. Obi-Wan had decided to trust Vader--elected to sacrifice himself in Vader's place so he could join his children and escape. That meant more to him than he could possibly know.

He marched, pushing aside stormtroopers and turning to lift the rubble using the Force, allowing him passage outside his castle. The obstacle Obi-Wan had thrown his way would hold him back for a time--but it would not keep him away for long.

The rubble crumbled, revealing the outdoors. He saw the Emperor's ship, saw his master standing above the body of his friend. Saw as his friend disappeared, into the Force.

The shock of the image stunned him. _I'm too late._ Too late. His gaze snapped back to his master's, who stared at him through the gap in the wall. Horror clawed at him as Vader realized what he'd done. Obi-Wan's sacrifice had been a waste, thanks to his own stubbornness and inability to see clearly in the face of loss. He stepped back on shaky legs. _Run._ The word reached his shaken mind through the guilt. _Run, Anakin._ He realized it wasn't his own--it was Obi-Wan's, somehow, urging him to cast aside pretenses and flee before the Emperor stopped him.

He finally obeyed as his master cackled behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.


	11. XI: The Reckoning

Anakin began to run, using the Force to push himself to move faster. A voice inside told him his efforts were fruitless -- the Emperor was too powerful. Even if he did manage to reach his children, his master would stop them from leaving or find them through the Force. There was no escaping. And yet he pushed on defiantly.

But something was wrong -- his limbs no longer wanted to obey his commands, and he slowed until he unwillingly froze in place. Devastation hit him in a wave. He'd wasted too much time attempting to save Obi-Wan, and now the Emperor held him in his grasp.

A few moments later, the Emperor appeared before him, smiling. "You thought you could escape?" asked his master. "My boy, you will _never_ escape me." He drew him closer through the Force, dragging him across the floor with invisible threads. At first, Anakin resisted, but his strength disintegrated like a blaster shot, crippling his rebellion, and he surrendered to his master's grasp. There had been no hope for escape, and he was a fool for trying. When the Emperor let go of him and ordered him to kneel, Vader obeyed.

"Good," said the Emperor, drawing out the word. "Now, where are Anakin Skywalker's children?"

The last spark of hope faded. He already knew. _Of course he does._ "I will never tell you," he said, though the words felt empty. He didn't need to tell his master where they were -- he'd find out anyway, invade his mind if he had to. Even if they left the planet, the Emperor would find them now that he knew they existed. But he would resist. Anakin clenched his fists. He would have one final act of rebellion. No matter his hopelessness, he would resist the Emperor until the end, doing everything he could to keep his children safe, even if it meant his own death.

"Your friend thought he could save you, but it seems he was wrong about a great many things," mocked the Emperor. "Now, answer me, Lord Vader. Where are Anakin's offspring?"

Anakin remained silent. A moment later, he felt painful tendrils in his skull as the Emperor invaded his mind. He fought back, blocking any thoughts from his mind and resisting the probe. The act became more difficult as his master pushed harder, and pain exploded inside him.

*

Sejj heard a scream and turned to see Luke on the floor, holding his head. "Luke!" exclaimed Leia, kneeling beside her brother, still hugging her blanket.

Sejj stood from the pilot's chair as Tad stirred, woken from his nap. "What's going on?" asked Sejj.

"I--I--I don't know," said Leia, looking up at him, fear in her eyes. Luke's screaming stopped just as quickly as it had begun. He got up on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. Sejj knelt before the kid.

"You okay?" he asked.

Luke looked up with glazed eyes, his face still screwed with pain. "Dad," he said. "My dad's in trouble." He began to stand, but Sejj held up his hands.

"Hey, no, I think it's best if you sit back down. Besides, we have to stay here." Sejj helped Luke sit back down, who was still visibly shaking.

"What's going on?" Tad stood from his chair, removing his helmet. He rubbed his eyes.

"My dad's in trouble!" insisted Luke, pushing Sejj away. "Come on Leia, we have to go save--"

"No!" Leia cut him off. "I won’t--Old--Old Ben said to stay here. We promised."

Luke shook his head. "He's in trouble," he repeated, softer.

"Who's your dad?" asked Tad. "If he's in trouble, maybe we _should_ help him.” Sejj sent a glare in Tad's direction, hoping to shut him up, but he didn't seem to get the hint. The kid was obviously delusional, and leaving was _not_ a good idea. They’d been given specific orders to stay here. "Where's this dad of yours, Luke?" Tad continued.

Luke stood, the glazed look in his eyes fading. "Outside." He pointed to the door. Tad began to make his way toward it, but Sejj grabbed his arm.

"What the kriff are you doing?" exclaimed Sejj. 

" _Language,_ " hissed Tad, giving a pointed look toward the kids.

Sejj rolled his eyes. "We had orders to stay here and wait for the sunrise to take these kids to safety. We aren't going to leave because some four-year-old says so."

Tad looked back at him uncertainly. "I don't know, Sejj." He turned his gaze to Luke, over Sejj's shoulder. Sejj followed his gaze. Luke stood next to Leia, his eyes both pleading and determined.

"You don't know?" asked Sejj incredulously. "This--"

Luke screamed again, falling to his knees, clutching his head. Leia crouched beside him. When the screams stopped, Luke looked up, his eyes hardened. "Open the door," he said.

"Open--open the door!" repeated Leia, seemingly having changed her mind. She looked at them, eyes wild. Sejj looked at the children in disbelief, failing to notice Tad moving to press the button to open the door until it was too late.

"Tad--"

The door stuck, only an inch open. Tad pressed it a second time to no avail. The door only groaned a bit, stuck in place.

"Well, there you have it," said Sejj, unable to keep a bit of smugness out of his voice. "Even if you _wanted_ to leave, we can't. Guess we're stuck here after all."

He turned back toward the kids. Luke lifted a hand toward the door, his eyes narrowed, and Leia copied him. Sejj frowned. "Guys, you aren't going to be able to move the door with your mind. I'm sorry, but we're--" The door moved, just slightly, making a scraping sound that made Sejj jump.

The door began to open, slowly, as the children held out their hands, their eyes squeezed shut. Sejj had heard of Vader committing such feats, but he'd never really believed the stories. And yet, here it was, before his very eyes, performed by two _children_. The door opened and Luke and Leia opened their eyes, both breathing heavily. Yet their energy did not seem depleted entirely. Luke ran out of the ship, Leia not far behind.

"Wait--" Sejj vainly tried to call after them, but they were long gone, Tad following them. He groaned, running after them, cursing all the gods of the galaxy.

*

The agony ceased, if only for a moment. "You have betrayed me, my apprentice," said the Emperor. "You cannot resist me forever."

Vader's voice modulator sparked, short-circuited by his master's lightning after he'd moved on from pure mind invasion. He could not respond if he wanted to.

"It is no matter," said the Emperor. "I will find them nevertheless. As for now, _you will pay_." He extended his fingers, once again engulfing him in the dark lightning.

A scream of horror from elsewhere in the room shook Anakin out of the pain-ridden daze. _No._ He knew his life was forfeit, but he had hoped...

The lighting ceased as the Emperor turned, a smile creeping across his face. "Dad!" cried Luke from the doorway, his sister standing beside him, trying to pull the boy away.

"Children," said Palpatine, his voice sickly-sweet. "Come closer."

"No!" Leia screamed. "Luke, come on!" Anakin longed to shout at them to run, but with his voice modulator broken, all he could manage was another broken breath of desperation. They were doomed.

*

"That's...your dad?" whispered Tad in horror.

"Which one?" said Sejj in reply. Both began to back away, leaving the children alone. Leia pulled on Luke, trying to get him to follow the stormtroopers back into the hallway, but he paid no attention, his eyes locked on his father's broken suit. His gaze snapped to the man standing above him, who'd just been torturing his father.

Luke felt fear seize him too late. As he tried to flee, finally registering Leia's pleas, something took hold of his body, and he found himself gliding forward. Leia stood beside him, looking desperately afraid. She'd known something was wrong as soon as she'd seen the Emperor. He should have listened to her.

They inched closer to the Emperor -- who Luke recognized from the news holos he'd seen him in, though in person he looked much older, and much more frightening -- until they stood only a few feet away. Luke's father stood unsteadily, so he towered over them beside the Emperor. _No,_ thought Luke, despite the fear inside him. _He won't hurt me._

The Emperor looked at them, his grin more menacing than his aunt's worst glares. "Now, Lord Vader, my apprentice," said the Emperor. "Kill them."

"No!" cried Luke. "No, dad, don't!" Tears fell down his cheeks. He could see his sister fighting her invisible constraints beside him. His father was silent, but his blade ignited a fiery red. Luke began to sob.

"Yes," said the Emperor. "Good, good." He dragged out the word. "Now, strike them down, and account for your betrayal once and for all!"

Vader lifted his blade. Luke looked down, tears streaking down his cheeks as he sobbed. Vader's lightsaber fell to the ground at his feet.

"I--won't." The words were garbled, almost unrecognizable. But Luke looked up to see Darth Vader unarmed, and he knew he felt the eyes of a loving father beneath.

Leia screamed, and Luke turned his gaze to see the lightsaber fly from the ground into the Emperor's outstretched hand. The blade ignited, piercing his father through. 

The blade detracted, and Anakin fell. "No!" he heard someone scream, and for a moment he thought it was his own voice. But when he opened his mouth to scream, no sound came out. It had been Leia, who was now on the ground, kneeling beside her father's still body.

Luke realized the invisible bonds that had held his body were gone, and yet he felt frozen in place. Leia looked at the mask that covered their father's face, tears running down her face and onto the mask. "No, no, no," she repeated. He finally fell to the ground and hugged his knees, rocking back and forth, silently mouthing the words along with his sister.

A laugh snapped Luke from his trance, a terrible, booming laugh that chilled him to his core. The Emperor stood above them, his arms outstretched as he laughed at their grief. "Yes." He dragged out the word, and Luke once again felt his body disobey him, standing and approaching the terrifying Emperor who had murdered his father. "You are strong with the Force, with mighty Skywalker blood. Come, children. We must begin your training." The Emperor laughed again, a softer, more menacing laugh. "Together, you will become a new, stronger Vader."

TO BE CONTINUED....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look. I know. I'm cruel and unfair. This ending was seriously painful to write, and I truly am sorry.
> 
> But hear me out.
> 
> First of all, _this story is not over._ I'm about one-third of the way through the next arc (which is much longer), and I plan on publishing it within the next few months. I'm posting the first scene as a sneak peek as the final chapter of this work. If you subscribe to this series, you should be notified of when I post the next arc. I also plan to write one-shots of young Luke and Leia while they're under Sidious' tutelage and post it in its own work, so you'll want to subscribe for that too.
> 
> Second of all, this had to happen. I knew that Vader wouldn't be able to resist the Light if he knew about child Luke and Leia, but there was a reason Obi-Wan and Yoda decided to hide away Luke and Leia. There was no reason to hide them away if everything would have turned out fine if Vader knew about them. The real danger? The Emperor, of course. And so, right from the get-go, the idea was that Sidious would be the one who ended up raising Luke and Leia. I love AUs where Vader gets to raise Luke and Leia, they're adorable and wholesome, but they just aren't realistic (in my opinion). They don't fit with what the movies set up--which is that if Vader knew about his children that they'd be in real and present danger. And my goal with this fanfic is to be as realistic and canon-complaint as possible.
> 
> Anyway, hopefully, you'll continue reading my fics even though this didn't end happily. I can promise this: none of the future fics in this AU end tragically. This WILL end in a happily ever after. And Anakin is a Force ghost!! So don't worry, we'll be seeing more of him in the future.
> 
> Also, I warned you in the tags. So this is really on you for reading it in the first place. ;)


	12. Ghost Crack: A Star Wars Story [unofficial epilogue]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not originally part of the arc, I just wrote it as a one-shot for fun because the idea had been nagging in my mind. It's more of a joke chapter than anything but it kinda?? works as an epilogue (even though the tone is very off). I hope you enjoy it anyway, and that maybe it can cheer you up a bit from the previous chapter.

When Anakin emerged on the other side, the first thing he heard was a groan.

He didn’t have a body, not really, but he could sense his surroundings, the souls that were there with him. And one of them was Obi-Wan, doing the Force ghost equivalent of a facepalm. 

“What?” Anakin didn’t so much speak as project his meaning out to his companion, being sure to inject as much sarcasm as possible.

“I should have known this would happen,” mumbled Obi-Wan, clearly distraught. “What did you do this time?”

Anakin furrowed his brow--or, he would have if he had one, at least. “What do you mean?”

“By the Force, what would Padme say? You’ve left the children with evil incarnate, Anakin! Did you not listen to my clear instructions?”

His memories were returning slowly as Obi-Wan spoke, and the most important piece finally clicked into place. “Oh, kriff. Oh,  _ kriff _ . My children are with--”

“The Emperor,” muttered Obi-Wan, sounding utterly exhausted and done with the world. More specifically, done with him.

“The Emperor,” echoed Anakin. “Kriff that guy, man. Why’d he have to go and ruin everything?”

Obi-Wan didn’t respond, but Anakin could sense that the feeling was mutual.

“Well, I’ve got to go back down there and help them somehow--” As he spoke, Anakin concentrated on manifesting himself on Mustafar, at the moment after his death. 

“No!”

Anakin stopped. “And why not?”

“It doesn’t work like that, Anakin. We can’t just interfere with the real world--”

Anakin rolled his eyes. “Pfft. Says who?”

“Says I!”

“Says I,” mimicked Anakin. By the Force, his master was pretentious. 

“I see you’re back to normal,” muttered Obi-Wan, not seeming the least bit happy about it. “Why couldn’t you just do as you were told and leave the planet with Luke and Leia? You just had to come and try to save me, didn’t you? Why, my sacrifice was for nothing, wasn’t it!”

Anakin huffed. “I’ll have you know, I had a great reason I couldn’t get away in time!”

“Which is?”

Anakin was about to speak, but nothing came out as he realized he had no good excuse. He resentfully remained silent. He could feel Obi-Wan’s satisfaction rolling off his spirit. “I didn’t want my best friend to die,” he finally murmured.

“Ah, so you do care, it seems,” said Obi-Wan, his voice teasing, though it turned back to disappointment in a flash. “Too bad it came at the cost of your only children, who now have to face being raised by the Emperor of the galaxy."

“Look, I’m sorry! I know I screwed up. That’s why I have to go down there and help them out--”

“They won’t be able to see you.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“They won’t be able to see you. Unless they’re in a Force nexus or are reaching out to you, consciously or unconsciously, you won’t be able to project your spirit to them. Besides, what are you going to do? Tell them Palpatine is evil? They’re  _ kids _ , Anakin. Telling them the truth will only put them in more danger. No, it’s best to leave them be, at least for now. But--once they’ve grown. Maybe then we can reach out to them. We must hope that by then, Sidious hasn’t thoroughly corrupted them, destroying our last bit of hope.”

Anakin didn’t like it, but he knew Obi-Wan was right. “ _ I  _ wasn’t completely gone,” he said quietly. “Though I know you thought that was true for a time. If Sidious couldn’t kill me--” He felt Obi-Wan smirk. “You know what I mean!”

“Of course,” said Obi-Wan slyly.

“If Sidious couldn’t  _ corrupt _ me, there’s hope yet.”

He felt Obi-Wan agree, and a silent peace fell over them.

Anakin frowned. “So, was the Chosen One prophecy just a total myth or what? Because I sure as hell didn’t fulfill it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple notes: 
> 
> I made up the stuff about Force ghosts. I'm pretty sure it's not canon, but honestly, Force ghosts are super confusing anyway so, eh, I don't feel bad about it. It explains why they don't show up and interfere with the real world as often as they probably should, and I think it fits with what we see in canon.
> 
> As for the Chosen One prophecy...technically, Anakin is right; in this AU he did not fulfill the prophecy. In short, I think his kids "inherit" the title. He's THE Chosen One, but the role passes on through the Skywalker bloodline. So the prophecy, even in this AU, WILL be fulfilled eventually. Unlike in Star Wars canon, where it never was fulfilled at all thanks to TROS! But, you're not here for my TROS salt, so I'll shut up.


	13. Skywalker: The Force Calls FIRST SCENE SNEAK PEEK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **What if Darth Sidious raised Luke and Leia?**
> 
> After the death of Darth Vader, Luke and Leia train under the tutelage of their master, Emperor Palpatine, known to them as Darth Sidious and father. But when Luke has visions from the Force and hears a voice from a time he's long forgotten, things begin to change. When Sidious learns of the visions, he runs away, on a mission to find his destiny and figure out what went wrong.
> 
> When Leia discovers her brother missing and their Force connection is cut off, she's faced with her greatest fear -- facing Darth Sidious on her own. He sends her on a mission to find her wayward brother and bring him back. If she can't turn him back to the Dark Side, her orders are to kill him.
> 
> Luke and Leia are bound together in the Force, the twin children of the Chosen One. But when that bond is broken, will the two of them be able to reconcile? Will they ever escape the bonds of their master and learn the secrets of the Jedi?
> 
> Luke and Leia have lived difficult lives, but they've yet to face their biggest challenge. Raised to know only one thing, escape may seem impossible. But the Light is calling, waiting for an answer....
> 
> ///
> 
> COMING SOON

Darth Rath swung her blade, Syn parrying each blow. She stepped forward, drawing on the Force’s power to gain ground. Syn stumbled slightly, then jumped to a higher platform, Rath following close behind.

Syn ran to the end of the suspended platform and jumped down, striking at the cords holding up the platform, and that’s when Rath realized her mistake. The side of the platform fell to the ground, throwing Rath off balance and sending her tumbling down the incline to Syn’s feet. Her lightsaber was ripped from her grasp in the fall, and it settled on the floor across the room.

Rath looked up, unarmed, at the emotionless mask her opponent wore. He raised his saber, ready to make the final blow--

Rath reached out toward her lightsaber to pull it toward her. It trembled but did not come to her grasp. She hissed, pulling harder, as Syn’s blade fell.

The lightsaber ripped through the air and into her hand, just in time for Rath to lift the blade and block Syn’s blow. She swung her legs around to kick at Syn’s feet, sending him crashing to the ground, and pulled his saber to her hand while he was distracted. Rath stood and pointed both sabers at his chest and he held up his hands in surrender. 

Rath retracted the blades, returning her own to her side. With a smile, she held out a hand to help Syn up, and he took it. She pulled him to his feet, handing back his saber. The lights in the training arena turned on, illuminating their surroundings now that the trial was over. 

Syn took off his helmet and shook his blond hair. “You’re distracted, Luke,” accused Rath, removing her own helmet, revealing her pinned up brown hair. “I shouldn’t have been able to pull the lightsaber to me in time. You hesitated.”

Luke looked at her, his eyes once again betraying his emotions. “Come on, Leia. You know you’re better than me at lightsaber combat.”

Leia huffed. “Sure, but you had me that time. Why didn’t you force me to surrender?” Luke looked away, hiding his pained gaze from her, but she could still sense his conflict through the Force. He moved to exit the training arena, and Leia followed. “You know you can’t hide anything from me.”

Luke bit his lip, a nervous habit he’d picked up from Sejj. “I...I’ve been having dreams. Visions from the Force.”

Leia perked up. Visions fascinated her, though she’d never had one herself. She’d studied them extensively, however, gathering as much knowledge on them as she could. But knowledge couldn’t compare to experience. “What did you see?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Leia furrowed her brow. “Yes it does, Luke. If the Force is trying to tell you something--”

“They’re visions of our parents,” blurted Luke, and Leia stopped in her tracks. She blinked and looked back at her brother, uncertain she’d heard him correctly. Their Bond, however, betrayed no falsehood. He was telling the truth.

“What did you see?” asked Leia, the words hushed, though she didn’t know why. They’d never known their parents, having been raised by the Emperor and trained in the Force by him since they were five years old. She couldn’t remember her life before him, though sometimes she wished she did.

Luke’s face twisted, his eyes unfocused, as though remembering a bad dream. And she supposed that was precisely what was happening. “Forget it,” he muttered, pushing past her to continue down the hallway. “I barely remember the dreams anyway.”

Leia hurried after her brother. “Fine, don’t tell me, but you have to tell Darth Sidious. He’ll want to know about this.”

Luke sighed. “I know.”

Leia nodded, sensing she wasn’t going to get anything else out of him.  _ So be it.  _ She’d know what he’d seen soon enough when he told Sidious, and their parents hardly mattered as it was. Sidious was as much their father as anyone could be, and there was little more she could ask for. If there was something important about these visions, Sidious would know, and he would help them discover their secrets.

“Race you to the apartment?” asked Leia with a smirk. Luke looked back, a smile returning to his face, and she sensed his conflict finally fade, though it did not disappear. She took off at a run, using the Force to quicken her past a natural pace, Luke not far behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sith names!! It was super fun to give Luke and Leia Sith names that I thought fit with their personalities.
> 
> Darth Rath--Leia's Sith name--showed up in a Sith name generator, and I thought it both sounded cool and fit with her personality. Rath, wrath. A Sith Leia is definitely going to be wrathful.
> 
> Darth Syn--Luke's Sith name--is even cooler, though credit goes to [this post](https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/skywalkers-sith-name.8059/post-121836). It's the Czech word for "son." Since Vader is the Dutch word for father, I thought Luke should have a parallel Sith name. (The Dutch word for son is zoon, which I didn't think sounded nearly as cool.) It can also double as a reference to the word sin, specifically "sins of the father."


End file.
